


This isn't Thedus! {modern world crossover AU}

by MadisonJayne



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-16
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-05-27 02:56:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6266737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadisonJayne/pseuds/MadisonJayne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would happen if Bull, Dorian and Dagna fell through a second veil, into our world?</p>
<p>During a freak storm Bull has been transported to a new world, his body warped and changed to fit into this strange world of technology and humans. The world he belongs in being a simple video game, will he try to return to the world he belongs in, is it truly where he belongs?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

==chapter one== 

The Inquisitor walked into the tavern, smiling. She had come to visit The Iron Bull, her favourite past time in these dark days. Blinking, she couldn’t see him in his regular place. “Krem? Where is The Iron Bull?”  
“I’m not sure, Your Worship, he was still here when I went to my quarters last night.” Krem answered, sitting on the back of his chair like he always did. “Maybe he went off with one of them serving girls again?”  
“Maybe.” She sighed, looking at the empty chair. “But he hasn’t done that in such a long time.”  
Krem jumped down from his chair, walking closer to her. “I’ll get the boys and have a look around, try not to overthink things.” He patted her shoulder lightly, before heading towards the other Chargers.

 

Maddison smiled, bobbing her head to the music pouring into her ears. She adjusted her headphones as she sat. If there was one thing she loved, it was a good song. She’d been at work all day, and was finally on her way home to relax. Work was getting monotonous, lacking the spark that it had when she began at the store. That was how it was in her life, after a few months, things just got monotonous. She liked to escape her regular life into a fantasy world, any book, game, television show, she would throw herself deep inside of it. Taking a deep breath, she moved to watch the city pass by her window. It was so gloomy, there had been storms taking place for the last three days. She turned her headphones up a little, she didn’t want to risk hearing the thunder outside.

As the bus jerked to a halt at her stop she stood, rushing to the door. She bit her lip, pulling her hood up over her headphones to protect them. Her house was half a block from the bus stop, she needed to get there quickly. Adjusting the strap on her shoulder bag she began to jog. Something about storms had always made her uncomfortable, but this time it was different, something about the storms recently was simply, wrong. Sighing lightly, she pushed her gate open, reaching for her keyring. Pulling her hood down once she was under the veranda she grinned, a welcome barking met her from the other side of the door. “Alright, alright.” She fitted the key to her door carefully. “Settle down you three, get back from the door.” She pushed the door open, half laughing at the three animals standing there, tails wagging.  
She pulled the door closed behind her, before bending down to scratch their ears. Two corgis and a German shepherd rubbed against her, begging for more scratches. “Were you good?” She squatted down in front of the shepherd. “Miss me, Sera?” The shepherd licked her face, before bouncing away from her excitedly.  
“Of course she was good today, Sera only ever acts up when you’re here.” A voice joined her from the next room. “I hope you don’t mind, I started dinner without you.”  
“What are you cooking?” Maddison removed her jacket, throwing it on the couch as she passed it, hanging her bag on its hook. She walked into the kitchen, smiling at her housemate.  
“I’m making pasta.” Her housemate turned, grinning at her. “How was work?”  
“Really, Kayci? You want me to complain about work already?” she teased, going to the fridge to get a bottle of water. “It was boring, I sold a heap of stuff to people who don’t really know what they’re talking about.”  
“You shouldn’t be so judgemental, they’re fans just the same as us.” Kayci turned back to the stove.  
“Na, the good fans that actually know what they’re talking about always go to Jeremy.” She complained, sitting on the kitchen table. “But the ride home was /great/.”  
“Yeah, I heard the storm start. Einstein and Tesla went absolutely mental, and Sera hid under your bed, as she always does.” Kayci moved, carrying a hot pot from the stove to the sink.  
“I still don’t get how your dogs can want to chase thunder, they’re insane.” Maddison joked. She looked out the window, sighing. “It’s a weird storm, you know, not how it should be.”  
“You’re just saying that because your scared.” Kayci teased, draining the water off of the pasta.  
“That isn’t true.” Maddison sighed, moving to stand. “I’m gonna go get changed, be right back.” She headed toward the stairs, heading up to her bedroom.

Maddison pushed her pasta around her plate, sighing slightly. Kayci couldn’t really cook much, in her opinion. She regularly made pasta, which wasn’t too bad, but tonight Maddison didn’t feel like pasta. She looked towards the door to the living room, wondering what she would do that night. She needed a release, some way to relax. She stood up, bringing her plate with her. Kayci sighed. “Come on Madds, we should really eat at the table…”  
“but…” Maddison sighed, before moving to go back to the table. “ok.”  
They chatted while they ate. Maddison smiled, relaxing some. Once they finished eating, she moved towards the kitchen again, carrying both their empty plates. “I’m gonna play the xbox tonight, is that ok?”  
“I keep telling you, it’s yours, you don’t need to ask.” Kayci said with a sigh.  
Maddison smiled awkwardly, she had always had to ask in the past, with her relationships, her parents, her brother, it was just habit. She shook her head. “Yeah, but still.” She placed the plates in the sink.

It was late, after three am, when Maddison heard the thunder start again. It was so strange, it sounded different. She pulled her knees up onto the couch, trying to concentrate on her game. She moved her character, clicking on her favourite companion, with whom her character was in a relationship. “Alright, Bull, what do you have to say tonight?” She asked the dark room around her, smiling. As the characters talked on the screen, a light flashed outside. “Just lightning, its fine.” She assured herself. She took a deep breath, looking back to the screen. Taking a deep breath through her nose, she ignored the strange metallic/electric scent she could smell on the air. She clicked on the character again, right as the light flashed and thunder boomed through the house. The walls shook violently, the power going out. Maddison screamed, causing Sera to come running. The dog jumped onto the couch, ears and tail erect, teeth bared, trying to protect her from the invisible enemy. Maddison shook wildly, the house was still swaying.  
Kayci pushed the door open, looking as shocked as Maddison was scared. “What the hell?! I think that bolt hit our house!” She growled. Kayci’s bedroom was on the bottom floor since her dogs couldn’t climb the stairs. Maddison looked at her, tears on her cheeks.  
“I-it hit the house?” Maddison’s voice was so soft, shaking.  
“I think so.” Kayci answered, holding a hand out to Maddison. “We need to check the top floor, come on.” She was always the brave one. Maddison took her hand, standing up off of the couch. Following her friend, they headed up the stairs, electricity still prickling in the air, their hair standing on end from the residual static charge.  
“Can you see anything?” Maddison spoke quietly, she was still on edge, afraid the storm would /attack/ them again.  
“There’s no smoke, or fire. That’s a bonus.” Kayci answered, finally reaching the top of the stairs. The hallway was completely intact, a few pictures had fallen from the walls, but nothing was broken. “Madds, did you close your door?”  
“No, you know I don’t close it when I’m home.” Maddison answered, staring at the closed door at the far right of the hallway. She walked towards it, placing herself in front of Kayci now. “Why would the storm close my bedroom door?”  
“It wouldn’t. Has Sera been up here?”  
“No, she was on the floor of the living room, with me.” Maddison answered, taking hold of the handle slowly, pushing it down. Carefully, she pulled the door open, blinking. Her room was filled with a strange silvery mist, though there was no hole in the roof.  
There was a deep groan from inside her room, a dark figure moving on her bed. Maddison stared, her bed was completely ruined, the wood broken in many places, her mattress jutting out in funny angles. Tears filled her eyes again, that bed had cost her so much money, back when she had none. She stepped into the room, a hand over her mouth.  
“Madds, did you have someone up here and forget again?” Kayci said, crossing her arms. “You really need ta stop doing that, one day they’ll turn out to be dangerous.” As the last word left her lips, the figure on the bed darted forward, grabbing Maddison’s wrists, pinning them to the wall. Kayci yelped, before instantly running forwards to try to protect her friend. Maddison screamed.  
“What is this place!” his voice was deep, but so very familiar. The gruff undertone making her body shake. “What kind of fucking demon trick is this!”  
“D-demon?” Maddison spoke slowly, looking at him. “Demon’s aren’t real.” She shifted her eyes over him, frowning. He looked so familiar, only, slightly wrong. “Who are you? How did you get in my bedroom?”  
“I’m asking the questions here. One minute I was on my favourite stool, listening to that horrible music, waiting for my boss to take me out again, next minute I’m flying through the sky, magically through the roof of this building and smashing that bed.” He pointed to it. “and something else isn’t right, I don’t feel like me!”  
“Tell me who you are, maybe I can help you.” Maddison answered, squinting in the darkness. As she did, Kayci used the flashlight on her phone to illuminate the intruder. Maddison gasped, staring at him. It was him, same long chin, same facial hair, same scars, but… human.  
“The Iron Bull?” Kayci said slowly, moving around him slowly to check him over carefully.  
“How do you know who I am?” He asked, his grip tightening.  
“I hate to tell you, but this isn’t Thedas.” Kayci spoke slowly.  
“What do you mean, this isn’t Thedas, where else…” he dropped her hands, turning away from her. “Oh great, I’m in the fucking fade again!”  
“This isn’t the fade.” Maddison added, looking him over. He was so tall, he had to be over 7” tall. His shoulders were so broad, but he was the most delicious shade of olive, not grey. He still wore his harness and his ‘circus pants’ but it looked so strange on this human man in front of her. “Bull, this is a completely different world, you come from a video game, that we play here.”  
“What are you talking about?”  
“Think of it like this. The rift and your world are connected by the veil yes? It’s like that, but our veil is different, it doesn’t break.” Kayci stated, watching him warily. “No demons, no magic, no wars like you fight, just life.”  
Bull sat heavily on what was left of the bed, staring at the two women in front of him. “What happened to everyone else?”  
“I don’t know.” Maddison answered, moving closer to place a hand on his shoulder. “But we’ll find out, ok?”  
He looked up at her slowly, a small smile on his lips. He blinked a little after a moment. He reached up, touching his ears, his smile instantly fading. “My ears are wrong.” He gingerly moved his hand higher, trailing it over his entire head. “My. Horns. Are. Gone!” He yelled, standing up again. Maddison fell to the floor with a thud, having been knocked over. He pushed past Kayci, trying to find a mirror. “What the hell happened to my horns!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who else is missing for Thedus? Where could they possibly turn up in this mixed up world?
> 
>  
> 
> a slightly longer chapter for you all, feedback is greatly appreciated. I'd love to hear what you have to say, even if it isn't positive.

**==chapter 2==**

The Inquisitor climbed the stairs to the library slowly. She needed to talk to Dorian, figure out what was going on with The Iron Bull and where her place in that life is. She frowned as she reached the top, regularly she could see him at the shelves in the hallway, inspecting the books. She was sure he swapped them out weekly for others around the library so he wouldn’t have to leave his little sanctuary. She walked closer slowly, worry pulling at her heart. “Dorian?” Her heart sank when she realised he wasn’t on his chair. “Not you too…” She sighed under her breath. Maybe he was still in his bedroom? She jogged to the correct door, heading upstairs. She didn’t speak to Vivienne as she rushed past her, not in the mood for anything the mage had to say.

Upon reaching his quarters she pushed his door open. “Dorian? You’re missing out on some great reading weather.” As she drew to the end of her sentence it was barely a whisper, seeing that he wasn’t in his room. Pain pulled at her chest, had her best friend run off with her lover? Had she been deserted so soon after successfully closing the breech? Tears filled her eyes, maybe she should have gotten Bull that necklace, and not tried to play the field quite so long. Without them, what was she supposed to do?

Sighing softly, she turned and headed towards the cellar, hoping against hope that he was just down there getting drunk. Walking now, she chewed at the inside of her bottom lip. As she walked she heard a familiar voice, calling from the rooftops. “Widdle?” Sera jumped down next to her. “There’s you, have you seen Widdle? She’s not where she’s supposed to be.”

“Dagna’s missing too?” the Inquisitor frowned more. “Hopefully she’s down here where I’m hoping Dorian is.” They walked in silence towards the cellar, both equally worried for their missing friends.

A clatter reached her ears, The Inquisitor’s heart swelling. She began to run towards the cellar, throwing the door open. “You bastard! I’ve been looking…” her sentence trailed off again and she spotted Krem and Rocky surrounded by empty bottles, practically naked. “You aren’t who I want.”

“Sorry, your worship, the tavern ran out.” Krem spoke quickly. “We’re still looking for the Chief.” He added, jumping up quickly, reaching for his tunic. Moving quickly, he rushed past the angry looking blonde, moving to run out of the cellar, he practically vaulted over the blonde elf as she rolled around on the floor in a fit of laughter. Rocky stood proudly in front of them, a drunken smile on his face.

\--line break—

When the sun finally rose, Maddison peeked into the spare bedroom. Bull was on the bed, a sheet covering his privates. She blushed a little, staring at him. It was so strange seeing him like this, without his horns, or anything that had made him Qunari. She fiddled with the end of her braid. How had this happened? It was impossible. He groaned as he rolled over, as if he were in pain. Maddison pushed the door open further. As she did so, Sera ran into the room, jumping onto the bed and nuzzling at the large stranger. Maddison huffed. “Some guard dog you are.” She entered the room. “Sera, come here. Leave him to sleep.”

“I’m awake.” His voice came from under the dog’s body. “Your wolf is strange.”

“She’s not a wolf. She’s a German Shepherd.” Maddison stated, crossing her arms and leaning on the doorframe.

Bull sat up slowly, looking at her. He blinked slowly, a smile forming on his lips. “You’re a redhead.”

“That I am, at the moment.” Maddison mumbled, trying not to look too interested in the large man sitting on the bed. Clearing her throat Maddison then stated, “I made breakfast, if you’re hungry.”

“I’m starved.” He stated. “Where’s the dwarf you live with?”

Maddison burst into laughter. “Oh God,” she couldn’t catch her breath, laughing so hard it hurt. Bull just stared at her, confused. Finally, Maddison caught her breath. “She’s not a Dwarf, she’s just short…and busty.” She smiled at him, pushing her fringe back from her face. “She’s asleep, it’s not often she’s out of bed before one pm.”

“She doesn’t wake for the day?” Bull frowned a little.

“She can’t sleep at night,” Maddison said with a shrug. “I can’t really either, but still.” She looked him over slowly, swallowing awkwardly. He was so much bigger than she would have ever expected. “I haven’t got any spare clothes for you to wear….your uh…a lot bigger than anyone I know.”

Bull moved to scratch his head, wincing at the empty feeling. “Man, it’s weird without my horns.” He moved to the side of the bed, stretching slightly. The sheet fell away from his hips, revealing his full naked form. Maddison went bright red, staring at him. He didn’t move to cover himself, nor act as if it embarrassed him to be seen. “What? You like what you see?”

Maddison just stared, he looked so different to what she expected, but she assumed that was because he was in a human body. It looked so strange, sitting there between his legs, nowhere near as large as she was thinking it would be. It hung so proudly, and so clean, she had expected a foreskin, but it was nowhere in sight.

“Do you think it’s going to bite?” Bull asked, stepping closer to her. Maddison shook her head, stepping back from him.

“Just, put some pants on!” Maddison screeched unintentionally at him, before running from the room. Her face was bright red, and she knew it. Hurrying back down to the dining room, she sat at the table, staring at the food in front of her, unable to eat. She heard him thumping down the stairs, his heavy footfalls reaching her ears. She took a shaky breath, scratching Sera’s ears. She swallowed again, looking at the door as he leant on the frame. His eyepatch was secured over his eye, he crossed his arms over his chest.

“What was that about? I didn’t think anyone’s voice could get that high.”

“I… don’t know.” Maddison admitted, chewing her bottom lip. “You do understand that this is seriously fucked up right?” She frowned. “One, you are supposed to be a fictional character in a game. Two, you’re supposed to be a Qunari. Three, if I remember correctly you’re fucking the Inquisitor.”

“Oh, that.” Bull sighed softly, sitting at the table across from her. “Listen, the Inquisitor and I are just casual. No binding contract, no ‘love’. Besides, if I’m stuck here I can’t exactly see her, can I?” He chuckled, taking a slice of bacon. “Can’t hurt to play the field a little while I’m here.”

“God, your such a… man.” Maddison huffed as she stood up, walking towards the kitchen sink. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“You don’t have a serving girl?” Bull blinked at her. “You seem fairly well off, you don’t have servants, or slaves?”

“Not in this world, we have a maid that comes in twice a week to clean, and we have a guy who comes and does the garden once a week, but no slaves or servants, no.” Maddison looked over her shoulder. “We don’t have ale here either, so you’d best be fine with water.”

 

By the time Kayci dragged herself out of bed, Maddison had grown tired of waiting. With her Xbox broken and the TV still fried, she had tried the fill the day in with her charcoals. She had finished at least five pictures, and without telling anyone what she was doing, she headed up the stairs towards her bathroom. Bull watched her go, a small smirk forming on his lips. He didn’t speak as he followed her, curious to see what she was doing. To get to the stairs, they had to pass the kitchen.

Kayci blinked slowly, spotting her friend as she headed towards the stairs, still groggy from sleep the charcoal covering her friend’s face stood out. She sighed slightly, only to frown as she spotted the large man a few paces behind Maddison. Without thinking, she grabbed the first thing she got her hand on, flinging it across the room at Bull, hitting him square in the head.

 

The rolling pin clattered to the floor, Bull turning to glare at the Dwarf in the next room. “What the hell was that for?”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Kayci had her arms crossed awkwardly across her large chest, tapping her fingers on her forearm. “Can you not see she’s covered in charcoal?”

“Of course I can, I’m assuming she’s going to bathe.” Bull answered simply, as if it were totally normal.

“Keep those thoughts, and your hands to yourself!” she spat at him, before turning back to the sink to finish washing her bowl for her breakfast.

As she sat down to eat, the three dogs ran to the front door, barking loudly. Kayci grumbled, it wasn’t a week day, none of their services were due. She stood, trudging towards the door, ignoring the angry man sitting on the stairs. She gave him a serious look, hoping that her words were enough to stop him taking advantage of her friend while she was still shaken from the storms. The doorbell rang throughout the house. “Yes, yes I’m coming!” she yelled at the door, halfway across the room.

Sera wiggled her butt happily, looking over her shoulder at Kayci got closer. Someone was talking on the other side of the door. She smiled. “Pat.” She spoke, opening the door.

“Good afternoon, Kayci.” Pat spoke with a smile. “How is my honorary granddaughter doing today?” there was a sweetness about the older woman, no matter that her voice was so cheery.

“I’m good thanks, how about yourself?”

“As good as you could be after those shocking storms.” Pat answered, pushing her way into the house, shaking her umbrella off just outside. “I came to check on Maddison.”

“Maddison’s just getting dressed.” She smiled, leading the older woman into the house. “Boys, down!” she snapped as Einstein and Tesla tried to jump up on the frail woman.

“Oh they just want their treats!” Pat exclaimed, grinning. Kayci rolled her eyes as Pat pulled three dog treats from her large bag. The three pooches sat in front of her, waiting their turn for the delicious treat.

 

Bull frowned, standing up from the stairs. There was a new voice in the house he didn’t know. There was so much about this world that he didn’t know. He hated not knowing things. He walked towards the front room, blinking as he spotted the three animals sitting in front of the dwarf and a strange older woman. Since he had entered the house, the beasts had never sat like that, they barely listened to anything Maddison said to them, especially when she snapped at them to shut up. Sera listened more than the two small ones, which honestly surprised him. He leant on the doorframe, arms crossed, watching the exchange. This older woman, she held some form of respect from the dwarf, the way she held herself. He squinted at her, trying to figure out who she was. As he stood there watching her, the older woman looked up at him. “Oh, hello there.” She smiled warmly at him. He blinked again, why was she being so nice? What was she hiding?

“Hey.” He answered simply, suddenly feeling as if he should have a shirt on.

“I’m Pat,” she stated, still smiling, before turning to look at Kayci. “Do I get to know who this one is? Or is he on the way out?”

“You can talk to this one.” Kayci said, sounding exhausted with the thought.

“Excellent.” Pat exclaimed, grinning at the tall man again. “Well, who are you?”

“Uh…” Bull’s face contorted, so confused at this woman’s actions. Why couldn’t he place her actions? “The Iron Bull.”

 

Maddison stood in her bedroom, wrapped only in a towel, her hair still dripping from her shower. She looked at her bed sadly. She had so many good memories with that bed, new experiences, each little mark had been there to remind her of what happened in the past few years, a small, very weak smile formed on her lips as she ran a hand over the broken footboard. She moved away from it, letting her towel drop to the floor. Sera ran into the room barking, bounding around happily. “Sit!” Maddison commanded, not turning around. Sera sat, before lying on her stomach and scooting forwards, aiming for the damp towel. Maddison placed a foot on the towel, still smiling slightly as she pulled her draw open, searching for her underwear.

Sera closed her jaw around the end of the towel, there was rubber edged into one corner, not very practical for drying, but perfect to play tug of war with. She tugged at it happily. Maddison kept her foot firmly on the rest of the towel. She smiled wider, finding a pair of matching bras and panties. “What do you think Sera?” she turned to face the dog as she tugged at the towel. Sera tilted her head, before gripping the towel harder, pulling more intensely now. “Well, boo to you.” Maddison said, lifting her foot off of the towel, causing the pup to roll backwards and tangle in the towel. She giggled, before beginning to dress.

As she clipped her bra into place, there was a light knock on her door. Turning, she blinked. “Grandma…” her eyes widened. “And Kayci.” She frowned a little. “Dude, still practically naked, you know the rule!”

“Sorry, she insisted.” Kayci stated with a shrug, while Pat entered the room, hugging Maddison tightly. “Also, she doesn’t believe Bull that his name is Bull.”

“Grandma, really.” Maddison sighed, hugging the short woman. “His name really is The Iron Bull, he’s not from here.”

“I figured that one out.” Pat said almost dryly. “You really need to find one of these boys to settle down with, your eggs won’t last forever.”

“Pat, we don’t bring that up, house rule.” Kayci interrupted, sighing slightly.

Maddison turned away from them, reaching for the dress she had hanging from the draws. “Leave it, I wanna get ready, I need you, grandma, to see if you can find anything in grandpa’s stuff that would fit Bull, please.”

Kayci lead Pat out of the room again, looking to the second spare bedroom. “Do we even have her grandpa’s stuff here?”

“I brought some with me, when I arrived.” Pat admitted, smiling at her. “I had this feeling while I was getting ready, that they would be needed.”

 

Bull sat on the couch, feeling as if he were sinking deeper than he should. The red haired girl had practically ignored him all day, while she was drawing. A small smile tugged at his lips as he thought of the way she worked on each portrait, the care she put into each stroke. No one in this house was on edge, not watching over their shoulders in fear of demons, assassins or war, it was strangely comfortable. He watched as the dwarf and the older woman re-joined him in the room. He sat up a little watching them. Kayci was dressed differently now, she stood a little taller, a tight corset under her ample bosom. He nodded in approval, not that size had ever bothered him, but she looked so different like this. Her flowy black skirt threatened to brush over the floor with each step, only giving him the slightest glimpse of her ankle. He stood up. “Looking good, Dwarf.”

“Still not a Dwarf.” Kayci stated, hands going to her hips. A smirk formed on her lips as Pat stepped forward. Bull blinked slowly, backing up again. “Pat is going to dress you, you’re coming to work with me.”

“I’m dressed just fine.” Bull argued.

“You’re wearing a circus tent on your legs,” Kayci sighed. “That is not ok for my workplace.”

“Where do you work?” Bull tilted his head just a little, curious.

There was a slight sparkle in her eye as Kayci looked him over. “Oh, you’ll love it.”

Before he could reply, Pat dragged him out of the room, back towards the stairs.

 

Maddison smiled at herself in the mirror, she was pleased with herself, the curl in her hair gave it enough volume to wear it to one side, curls billowing over her right shoulder. Dark liner hugged her eyes, causing the blue of her iris to pop, and thick lashes made her eyes look that little bit bigger. Nodding, she glossed her lips, leaving them their natural rosy pink. Checking herself once more, she nodded, the bodice of her dress contoured her body perfectly, revealing the curves she kept hidden under baggy clothes. The skirt brushed against her mid-thigh, hiding the very top of her thigh high stockings. Bending carefully, she pulled her knee high boots on, using the buckle at the top to hide the zip. Her outfit was perfect, she felt as if she looked just right for the night. Every Saturday she went to work with Kayci, it was where she liked to prowl for her next partner, no strings, no see you next time, just fast, hard, casual sex.

She turned slowly, beginning to walk to the door as Kayci stopped in her doorway. The shorter woman let a soft whistle leave her lips. “You’re trying harder than usual tonight.” A smirk formed on her lips. “Got someone you want to impress there, Madds?”

“No!” Maddison snapped at her, crossing her arms under her breasts. “I just… felt like dressing up a little more tonight.”

“Uh huh, sure thing.” Kayci’s eyes moved away from Maddison, landing on her bed. “You know you aren’t leaving this house until you order your new bed right? I refuse to bring you to work when you’re too lazy to make one phone call.”

Maddison winced a little. “Don’t you dare.” She spoke quickly. “You know why I haven’t called, it’s not that easy.”

“I know you have lots of memories in that bed, but it’s time to get a new one. We can even order one that looks exactly the same.” Kayci spoke softer now, a warmth to her voice. She had been pretty understanding of Maddison’s personal issues since they became friends.

“Will you call for me? I don’t even care which bed I get, but I want the exact same mattress…” Maddison pleaded, looking at her with big sad eyes.

“Three dogs, Maddison, you know puppy-dog eyes don’t work on me.” Kayci said with a heavy sigh, before moving towards the hallway again. “Ok, I’ll call, but you owe me.” She walked out, pulling her phone out of her bra to make the call.

 

Bull stood awkwardly as the older woman fixed his clothes. He felt so uncomfortable in a shirt. He was more surprised that the woman had somehow had clothes that would fit him. “You don’t find it odd, a strange man suddenly appearing in your granddaughter’s home?”

“Not really, dear. She’s an adult, I’m very used to finding strangers leaving her home when I arrive for puppy-sitting.” Pat answered, finally happy with how the shirt was sitting.

“You’re here to watch the wolf?” Bull was surprised, he moved carefully, not wanting to rip the shirt, which felt much too tight. Maddison didn’t leave her wolf at home alone, which came across as strange to him. The fact that it was a regular occurrence for strangers to share her bed didn’t bother him at all.

“She’s still a pup, technically, so it’s easier for someone to be here, to let them out to the toilet and ensure they don’t destroy anything in the house.” Pat stated with a smile, she pointed to the mirror. “I know it feels too tight, but it really looks quite good on you.”

Bull looked at himself in the floor length mirror, frowning. The man looking back at him looked nothing like him. The man in the mirror was so… human. He sighed, looking himself over, he didn’t dislike his new look, it was just so different. He missed his horns, his skin. He was a stranger in his own body. Sighing, he turned away from the mirror. “It’s fine, thanks.” Without waiting for her to reply, he walked out of the room, heading downstairs. As he reached the bottom of the stairs he looked up, hearing the two women talking in the doorway. He felt his breath catch slightly in his throat, staring. The redhead had curves, she looked spectacular, like no one he’d ever seen before, as the two females turned towards him, he felt his face split into a grin. “Nice rack.”

Before he could react, a shoe slammed into his face, Kayci glaring at him as she reached for another. He moved, standing battle ready. “Try me.” She practically growled at him, gripping a high heeled shoe in her hand. How had he not noticed the shoe rack next to the door before? He stood, putting his hands up in defeat, he didn’t need a fight just yet.

 

The car ride was quiet, no one daring to speak while Kayci was in a bad mood. She owned her own store, specializing in various adult paraphernalia, she opened at five pm every day, including the holidays. It was a very rare site to see her store closed. Maddison had been forced to sit in the back seat of the Honda Jazz. She hated sitting in the back seat, but Bull did need the extra space of the front seat. Sighing, she tried to ignore the music Kayci had playing, they had very different tastes in music, sometimes it was ok, but on this occasion, she couldn’t stomach the odd indie sound. She moved her eyes back to the large man in the front seat. He did look good in her grandpa’s modified clothes, it surprised her. She didn’t remember her grandfather very well, but she remembered him being enormous. She was five when he died, so she figured that most people would look enormous to her younger self. Kayci turned into her private parking lot, turning to look at Maddison, ignoring Bull. “I have two parties tonight, I need you to cover one.”

“Seriously?” Maddison whined, crossing her arms. “You know I’m not good at selling this stuff.”

“I have a bridal shower and a gay man’s bachelor party, your good with gay guys, you can cover that.” She flashed an evil grin. “Remember, you owe me.”

Maddison sighed, nodding slowly. “Alright, you win.” She pushed the car door open, climbing out. “Any new stock I should know about?”

Bull watched the two women walk away from their strange transport. He successfully managed to get the strap off of himself, climbing out of the car quickly. He followed behind them, listening to the way they spoke. He had no idea what they sold in this store, but the Dwarf looked extremely excited. He studied the way they spoke, the way they moved around each other. He wondered if they had possibly been lovers at some point, before shaking his head, former lovers had an air of tension around them, these two seemed like they got along perfectly well. He noticed that at the mention of certain things, Maddison would adjust her hair, whereas Kayci would lift her head slightly, as if to look down her nose. They stopped at the back door of the store. He smiled, noticing that Maddison held her weight on her right leg, the instant that they weren’t walking, she crossed her arms under her bust, pushing it up, making it seem fuller. He wondered if she did this because she felt inadequate against her friend, or if it was a way of protecting herself. He licked his lips. From what he gathered from listening to them and watching them all day, he understood that she used sex to forget something from her recent past, something that had scarred her deeply. Shrugging it off, he followed them into the store.

Kayci yelled the moment she flicked the little switch that illuminated the room. He instantly put himself between Maddison and whatever was in front of them. Kayci on the other hand, rushed forward, swearing black and blue.

“Oh, good evening,” that was a voice Bull recognised. “Mind telling me what this is for?”

“Hi there! ~” the cheery voice caught him off guard, he moved a little closer to the voices, looking into the room Kayci had entered. “I’m so sorry we made a mess, I just had to see what made this work! It’s so different to anything I’ve ever seen.”

“Dorian, Dagna. How in the hell did you get in here?” Bull spoke, moving between them and the obviously furious Kayci before he could stop himself, he moved forwards and hugged the two of them, a stupid grin on his face. “Damn, it’s good to see you.” he whispered in their ears as he moved so his back was towards Kayci. "don't move, she'll throw something hard at you."

“Bull?” Dorian sounded confused, pushing the large man away from him. “What on earth happened to you?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for your benefit I'm going to let you know that for 24 hours in the modern world one week passes in the inquisition world, hopefully that will clear up any confusion with the two worlds being in different timelines.

**==chapter 3==**

The Inquisitor walked into the Gull and Lantern, frowning. Why on earth had Krem asked to meet here? They were perfectly safe in Skyhold. She scanned the crowd, blinking. They were all affiliated with the Chargers, not a single villager from Redcliffe. She moved towards the stairs, knowing Krem would be in one of the rooms. It had been three days since The Iron Bull had disappeared, and two since Dorian and Dagna had gone missing. The Chargers were gathering information as best they could, without being detected by any spies in Skyhold. Knocking on the door slowly, she looked around. Krem pushed the door open slowly. “Did you come alone?”

“Of course, just as you asked.” The Inquisitor frowned at him. “What’s the meaning of this Krem?”

“Skyhold may not be safe, your Worship, we have a theory.” He moved, letting her into the room. “We all sat down and thought about it, and Dalish brought up a very good point.” He nodded to the blonde elf, who sat in the windowsill. “The three most distrusted members of the inquisition, other than Sera, happen to be our three missing friends. The Chief is a Qunari, Dagna is a dwarf and Dorian.” He chuckled awkwardly. “Well, Dorian is from Tevinter, and a mage.”

“So what are you saying?” The Inquisitor crossed her arms, frowning more. “You think someone’s getting rid of the undesirable members of the inquisition?”

“We do, Your Worship.” Krem stated, sitting on a chair in the centre of the group. “If they got the Chief, who knows who they’ll go after next.”

“Who do you think is behind this?” Fear tugged at the Inquisitor’s stomach, who would do this to her friends? They were still so important, there were still rifts that needed closing around the country.

“The only person we can think of, that could possibly get rid of all three of them, so quietly, would be Leliana. She has the resources, and I don’t think she’d care.” Krem answered, looking to the others. “We could be next, none of us are exactly desirable, you might want to keep your distance from us in public places.”

“We’ll keep working on it, but you need to stay away, or we’ll be next, while we’re simply mercenaries for the inquisition we’re safe.” Dalish spoke, looking at the Inquisitor. “You may want to suck up to the other shem in your company, keep yourself safe.”

\--line break—

Kayci stomped around the store, replacing the items to the shelves that she could. Dorian and Dagna were banished to the party room to the right of the counter, before the bathrooms. Maddison stood awkwardly behind the counter, staying out of the way, while Bull watched on silently. Kayci looked at Maddison sternly. “Jessie will be here soon for her shift, give her the purple leather bikini with silver chainmail over it and the white ruffled panties.” Her left eye twitched a little as Maddison’s eyes lit up. “And no. You cannot help her put them on, you are to stay out here and wait for your party to arrive.”

“Aww, but Kayci…” Maddison half whined, a small smile on her face. “Those leather ones are so tricky to put on.” She was almost giggling at the end of her sentence.

“I said no. You know the rule, no sex with my employees.” Kayci stated as she finished restocking the shelves.

 

Bull frowned at the display. Kayci could be very serious when she was talking about her business. He let his eyes wonder over the displays on the walls. She had been right, he was loving this store already. He had taken a look around while Dorian and Dagna were scolded at, finding a large room hidden behind the bathroom. There was a bar, so he figured it was some kind of tavern, but many of the tables had strange tops, with large poles reaching the ceiling. In the centre of the room was what looked like a torture device, thick leather cuffs attached to wooden planks, the main door had thick curtains covering it, but he had discovered that it was two thick glass doors with some kind of tent covering it. He vaguely remembered walking past the tent when they arrived, but he hadn’t paid it any mind. This looked like the kind of place he could get real comfortable. He looked back to Maddison, the way she stood told him that she was a little uncomfortable, but also very excited. His eyes snapped to the front entrance of the store as it clicked. A girl slightly shorter that Maddison quickly entered the door before closing it firmly behind her. She had long black hair pulled into two pigtails, a fringe brushing over her forehead. Large blue eyes darted around the room, as if she were taken aback by his presence, as she got closer, he swore her eyes changed colour. Her chest was practically flat compared to the two women he had been with for the most part of the day, she was quite skinny, though her skirt hid a very plump rear. He nodded at her.

Maddison rushed towards her. “Jessie, sweetheart, your just in time.” She took the girl’s hand, leading her towards the bathrooms. “Purple and chainmail tonight, love. With the white ruffles.” He almost laughed at how quickly her mood changed when the smaller woman arrived. He moved a little, looking to Kayci, only to realise she had left the room. He frowned a little. Where had that dwarf gotten to?

 

Maddison checked her cell carefully, it was time to set up the room for her bachelors. She slipped into the back room, spotting Kayci with two men. She waved to them, walking closer. “Evening boys, ready for another big night?”

“List isn’t that big, ma’am.” The taller of the two stated, his green eyes flicking over to her. “Should be a fairly easy shift. Elz isn’t even putting his full staff on.”

“Aww, really Fairy? Not putting the best on display for a small crowd?” Maddison teased, looking over at the shorter man. He poked his tongue out at her, before turning back to his work, working on his tablet to organise the music for the evening. Maddison smiled at them, before a shiver ran down her spine. Turning her head, she noticed Bull standing close behind her, staring the larger man down.

Kayci sighed, her hands going straight to her hips. “How the hell did you get out here, Bull?” she looked to Maddison, giving her a look. Maddison frowned, knowing it meant Kayci blamed her for Bull getting into The Playroom.

 

“Secret door isn’t that secret, Dwarf.” Bull stated with a shrug. He moved, sizing the larger man up again. “Army?” It was obvious the large man had served, the large scar running from his lip to his collarbone told him enough without the cropped hair. It reminded him of Krem’s, only more of a mousy blonde.

The larger man visibly twitched. “Navy.” He grunted, turning to face Bull fully. “Why are you here? Boss doesn’t seem to like you?”

“Your boss doesn’t seem to like anyone.” Bull stated, holding a hand out. “The Iron Bull.”

“Kyle.” The larger man shook his hand, the vice like grip made him smile. It’d been awhile since he had appreciated anyone else’s strength. “I’m the bouncer for The Playroom.”

Bull nodded, turning to look at Kayci. “You were right, I love it.” He grinned at her. “Lots of potential.”

“I know.” She pointed to the bar. “If you’re going to be out here, make yourself useful and help Maddie with the supplies for her party.”

Bull blinked, before looking over to the bar, noticing Maddison again. The girl moved faster than he expected, and so quietly. She was up on her tip toes, reaching for something on the top shelf behind the bar. He couldn’t help but smile as her skirt lifted higher on her thighs. He walked over, his hand itching to squeeze it, though the stern look from Kayci stopped him. How did such a small woman make things hit him so hard? And why did it hurt so much? He stepped around the bar. “Can I get that for you?”

“O-oh, yeah.” Maddison stuttered, looking up at him. Her cheeks were slightly red again. She moved out of his way. “While you get that, can you get two bottles of the sparkling wine next to it?” she set three small barrels on the bar, partially filling them with ice while he collected the appropriate glass bottles. She smiled at him. “I have never understood why Tik Tok keep the bottles up so high, they’re not that much taller than I am.”

“Tik Tok?” Bull looked at her, an eyebrow raised. “That’s a noise, not a person.”

“Actually, its two people. They run the bar here, serve the drinks, handle the money out here. Tik is one and Tok is the other. But we just refer to them as Tik Tok.” Maddison explained, placing each bottle into the ice barrels. He smiled at her, noting that she relaxed once she began talking more. It gave him a glimpse of the woman she was, possibly before a serious trauma.

“Really? Why Tik Tok?” Bull took two of the barrels in his arms, carrying them back towards the store.

“Well, the way they dress, their style is called steampunk, which is often associated with lots of gears, cogs and clocks. The sound they make when moving is a ticking sound, so it just fits. You’ll see later, if we’re allowed out there tonight. Kayci is pretty ticked off.” Maddison smiled, stepping through the curtain into the room Dorian and Dagna were banished to. Maddison smiled wider at them. “Now, you two. Promise to be good while the party is happening, and I’ll let you drink as much as you want.”

“Drink you say?” Dorian perked up. He had looked like a kicked puppy since Kayci had finished yelling at them. Bull chuckled, he knew the spoiled mage had no idea what to do when he was being scolded.

“Yes, drink.” Maddison answered, smiling at him. “I don’t know if it’ll be as good as the wine your used to from Tevinter, but it’s pretty good.” Bull frowned, how did these girls know so much about the world they came from.

“Excellent.” Dorian stated, pulling one of the goblets towards him. “I’ll start right away.”

“What sort of party are you having in here, Miss?” Dagna moved, looking around the room like she wanted to take everything apart.

“The men coming in tonight are celebrating the last night of freedom for their friend, and they decided the best way to do that would be to find some new toys to play with.” Maddison said with a shrug. She looked at the spread, frowning a little. “There’s something missing.” She crossed her arms, weight on her right leg again. “I have the dipping chocolate, marshmallows, chips, orange, melon.” She tapped her left foot, looking deep in concentration. “Oh!” she turned to Bull, grinning. “You wait here, watch them, do not let them drink everything we brought in.” she turned, jogging out of the room. “When I come back you can go to the party with Kayci.”

 

Maddison smiled, running into the back room, practically falling on top of Kayci. “Did you order the strawberries? You know what happened last time we forgot them.”

“They should be in the fridge in the bar.” Kayci smiled at her. “You seem happier tonight.”

“I feel happier tonight, I don’t know why.” Maddison answered with a grin, before running over to the bar. “I feel super smart too, like… Bull asks me things and I know the answer for a change, instead of having no idea what to say. It’s really nice, I almost feel like my old self.”

“That’s great Maddie. Now get back in there before they break something else.” Kayci smiled as she waved her off, turning back to organise something with Elz.

Maddison moved back into the party room, smiling at the small group. “Ok, you need to try these. They’re from a farm not far from the city, best tasting strawberries in the world.” She handed a strawberry to each of the travellers. She watched happily as they tasted the fruit. “We’ll get you some real dinner a bit later, but right now we need to have this party. Wait in here for a minute?”

The party was only three hours long, as the store rules stated that any party had to be finished by eight pm. Maddison smiled, watching as the last of the bachelor party left. She moved back to the room, grinning at Dorian. “You look so uncomfortable, what’s wrong?”

“Those men, they were…”

“Yes, they were all gay. Just like you.” Maddison said with a wide smile.

“Isn’t it frowned upon?” Dorian sat up a little, reaching for the bottle of wine next to him.

“Not so much anymore, men and women aren’t the only ones who can marry now. The world is finally noticing that love can be between two men or two women, it’s wonderful.” Maddison reached for her own glass, looking over at Dagna. “You look positively enchanted.”

“Oh I am.” Dagna said with a big smile. “The way you power things here, I just have to know how it works.”

“It would be very different to anything your used to.” Maddison nodded, handing her another glass of wine. “Would you like something else to eat? We’ll be here for a while still.”

“How are you going to get more food? There isn’t a kitchen here.” Dorian asked, standing up. “This is the strangest home I have ever been to.”

“This isn’t a home Dorian, it’s a store. I’ll order a pizza or something, I’m sure you’d like that.”

“Really?” Dorian screwed his nose up. “What is it?”

“It’s like bread, with sauce and different toppings on it. It’s very good.” Maddison said with a smile. She checked the time. “We only have an hour before Jessie’s shift finishes, then I have to man the counter.”

“You’re a merchant?” Dorian asked, surprised.

“Technically, I suppose we are merchants. Though here, we’re called retail professionals.” Maddison stood up, stretching. “Wait here, I’ll go check if Kayci’s finished with her party.”

 

Bull stood in the back of the room, smiling in approval. The dwarf knew what she was talking about, the different ways to bind a partner, but she had a lot of different toys to use. It amazed him how openly she spoke of different bondage tactics, she was very impressive. He wondered if Maddison would be into anything like that. He shook his head, smiling to himself. Maddison didn’t seem like she would enjoy being tied up, nor tying someone else up, he couldn’t tell what she would like, but he was going to find out. As the women from the party began to leave the room, he shifted his feet. He felt their eyes on him, like they were sampling a piece of meat before purchase. He licked his lips, it had been awhile since he popped his cork, he wondered if his hosts would be mad if he sampled something. Kayci cleared her throat, crossing the floor, hands on her hips. “You are not to do that with my clients, The Iron Bull, not until we figure out what to do with you.” She held an air of dominance about her, but there was something else there, he knew she would let certain people do whatever they wanted, to an extent.

He nodded in understanding, looking to the curtains as a familiar face appeared in the room. The odd purplish lighting made her hair stand out even more, the smile was what caught him though, she looked so relaxed, more so than he had seen her yet. He stepped closer, smiling back at her.

“Hey Kayci, are you done? I’m gonna order pizza.” Her voice was different now, the sound made him smile more. Why was a stranger having this effect on him?

“Oh cool, did they behave?” Kayci walked over to her friend, her air of annoyance dissipating slightly.

“Yeah, Dorian’s more shocked than anything that being gay isn’t a big deal here.” Maddison giggled. “And Dagna wants to know how absolutely everything works.” Bull watched her, smiling. He followed the two girls out of The Playroom and into the store. It wasn’t overly busy, a few people here and there, he noticed how comfortable Jessie seemed in her skimpy clothing, smiling more. There was an air of innocence about her, even though she worked in such an adult industry. He wondered just how young the girl was.

“If you’re going to order pizza, you can eat in the party room, Dorian and Dagna should probably stay in there all night, I’ll grab them some books from down stairs.” Kayci looked at the curtain which hid Dorian and Dagna. “They aren’t exactly dressed for our world. With all that leather, Dorian might be mistaken as a dancer from out the back, and Dagna, well… she’s just going to have to wait ‘til tomorrow.”

“I know, I don’t have anything that would fit her, will you be able to lend her something Kayci?” Maddison looked at Bull for a moment, smiling. “We’ve got Bull covered for now, though he’ll need more clothes tomorrow.” Bull frowned, he didn’t see the point of having lots of different clothes, he liked his pants and harness, but if he was going to be stuck here for a while he should try to blend in. He smiled back at her. “You ok with whatever pizza I order? I know you want to get out there and make sure everything’s ready before we get going.”

“Yeah, just remember I don’t want pineapple.” Kayci moved out of the room, back out to The Playroom.

 

Maddison smiled, moving to use her cell, ordering from her favourite pizza place. She looked at Dagna as she used her phone, smiling. “We’ll get you one to play with tomorrow. It’s a cell phone, it works similarly to a sending crystal, though it’s a little more complicated. Almost everyone has one in this world, from a young age. I guess it works similarly to a messenger bird too, but less poop.” She giggled to herself, before showing Dagna the phone’s face. “You see here is the message I’m sending, and the keys to type on all on a touch screen, so there are no actual buttons.” Dagna’s eyes lit up at the sight of the new technology. “I think we have a user’s manual downstairs you can read, if you want. Kayci’s gonna get you some stuff to read while we’re stuck here. I don’t think she wants you guys in the bar tonight.”

“And why not?” Dorian frowned, looking at her seriously. “We shouldn’t be confined in here all night, we aren’t prisoners.”

“No, you aren’t.” Maddison sighed, not sure how to explain it.

“You’re dressed like one of the whores out there’re Dorian, you don’t want to be mistaken for that.” Bull stated, crossing his arms as he leant against the wall. “And I’m pretty sure the Dwarf is afraid Dagna will pull everything apart.”

“But I need to know how it works!” Dagna protested. “I’ll put them all back together after.”

“I know, hun, but she’s kinda picky about what happens in her club. Since it is hers.” She looked up, smiling as a familiar face popped up in the curtain. “Oh hey, Tik Tok, looking good.” She wasn’t totally sure which of the twins it was, so she just used both names. Tonight they were dressed with brown and white corsets accompanied by brown skin tight pants with different zips up the sides, a set of goggles rested on her forehead, the strap hidden under layers of black, brown and white dreadlocks.

“Thank you, Maddie.” Her voice sent chills through Maddison, there was the slightest robotic undertone, it was amazing. “The boss said to ask if you wanted cocktails in here, for your special guests.”

“Oh?” Maddison grinned. “We’re getting special treatment?” she looked at Dorian. “You’ll love these.” She looked back to Tik Tok. “Yeah, bring in a round, and a beer for Bull.”

“Sure thing, save me some pizza.” Tik Tok vanished behind the curtain again, leaving the group alone.

 

Bull smiled, the new person surprised him. He wanted to be out in The Playroom, taking in any information he could. He wondered if he’d be able to stand with Kyle for a while, the doorway would be the best vantage point to watch over the building. He watched Maddison practically jump out of her chair after a while, heading out into the store again, before returning with two large very thin boxes. They smelled amazing. He moved to sit next to Dagna at the table, wondering exactly what this pizza was. Maddison smiled, handing out plates, though they were made of parchment. He raised an eyebrow. “We don’t have regular plates?”

“We don’t need to wash these.” Maddison stated with a shrug. As she began to open the box, Kayci re-entered the room, carrying a tray with different goblets of drinks. Maddison grinned at her, her eyes sparkling. In the dim light of the party room her eyes looked like the night sky, stars shimmering in their depths. He had never seen eyes like hers in his entire life.

“I brought the drinks. Tik Tok tells me you’re interested in the cocktails tonight.” Kayci placed the tray down on the table next to the pizza, handing Dorian a delicious looking pink drink. “Here, try this. It’s called a Singapore Sling I think you’ll love it.” She handed a yellow drink to Dagna, “And this one is called Sex on the Beach.” She then handed a large mug to Bull. Bull sniffed the liquid, a smile forming on his lips again. Ale, there was no mistaking it.

“Thanks.” Bull smiled, looking at their parchment plates again. “So, this Pizza thing, is it good?”

“It’s amazing,” Maddison stated, handing him a thin triangular slice of bread with what looked to be tomato sauce and ham with cheese and another yellow food on top. He raised an eyebrow at it, it was nothing like he’d ever seen. “Before you screw your nose up, try it, Mr.” The way she spoke reminded him of one of the Tamassran, or how a mother would speak to their children.

“I’m not screwing up my nose.” Bull argued, before trying the pizza. He smiled, it was good. He looked to Dorian and Dagna, nodding. “It tastes pretty good, though I don’t expect a Vint would appreciate it.”

“None of that,” Kayci snapped, already on her second slice. She looked up at Maddison. “Sit and eat, before I force it down your throat.” There was something about the way she said it, as if it were automatic. He wondered if there had been a period where Maddison refused to eat.

“But I’m making sure they’re all happy.” Maddison argued, before sitting down. “I’m not sitting because you told me to.” Bull smiled at her words, she was rather obedient, even if she wouldn’t admit it.

They chatted while they ate, mostly Kayci explaining to Dorian and Dagna that they needed to stay in that room while the club was open. As the pizza box was removed, she placed a large pile of books on the table, smiling at them. “These should last you until it’s time to go home. Bull is allowed to go out into the club since he’s dressed correctly, and Maddie will handle the counter until the store closes.” She looked to Maddison. “I’ll make sure Tik Tok supply them with drinks in here, that should keep them happy for a while, right?”

“Should do, I mean, they’re getting special treatment anyway.” Maddison smiled at them. “As long as no one vomits I don’t care.”

“So you expect us to be able to read your language?” Dorian looked to them, one leg resting on the other.

“You can speak our language, why shouldn’t you read it?” Kayci said, looking bored.

Bull snorted. “She’s got you there.” He looked at Dagna as she picked up the first book, looking excited. “Why don’t I go with you to the counter, Maddison.” He stood up, holding a hand out to her.

 

Maddison blinked. “You want to sit inside with me all night?” That truly surprised her, she thought he’d rather sit in the club and watch all the dancers.

“Not exactly, but I’ll walk out there with you.” Bull smiled at her. Why did him smiling at her make her feel so awkward. The last time she felt feelings for someone it ended badly, she wasn’t about to let herself start feeling something for someone who very likely wasn’t there. During the night she’d come to the conclusion that she was having another breakdown and seeing her favourite characters in her real life. She took his hand lightly, allowing him to help her up.

She looked up at him as she walked toward the counter. “So, you are really here right? This isn’t all in my head?”

“Why would this be in your head? I told you earlier, it has to be a fucking demon trick, there’s no way all this is real.” Bull answered gruffly, looking around the store slowly. “Demon’s got taste though.”

“There aren’t demons like that here, demons in your head yes, but not physically.” Maddison argued softly, finally reaching the counter. “Hey Jessie, its nine o’clock, you better get going.” She smiled at her. “you don’t want to miss the last bus.” The only reason Kayci had hired the young dark haired girl was because Maddison had a type, and had begged. Being pansexual she usually preferred to get to know people, their soul, personality, before falling for them, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a type of person she just found drop dead gorgeous. Jessie was only 18 when she had started in the store, the age gap alone made Maddison tingle, but the fact that there was a little Asian in her blood made everything better. Kayci forbade Maddison from trying anything, but she was happy to have something to look at while at work. She looked up at Bull. “What are you going to do for the rest of the night?”

“I thought I’d go stand with Kyle, he feels… familiar, it’s comforting in this fucked up fade trick.” Bull looked tense when he spoke about it, looking at the ceiling. “I’ll see you later.” He headed towards the secret door.

Maddison leant on the counter as Jessie left to get changed back into her street clothes. “Have a good night, Jessie.” She waved, before starting the flick through the latest product catalogue.

 

Bull nodded silently to Kyle as he stood on the opposite side of the door. He looked over the club, taking everything in. The poles made sense now, the way the dancers humped them. It was a serious display of sexuality. It had to be some kind of brothel. He narrowed his eyes, spotting Kayci and Elz chatting in the back corner. The way she was around him confused him, there was something strange about their interactions. The night went by slowly, no real issues arising. Bull noted Kyle’s stance was very relaxed, though he was ready to attack at a second’s notice. He caught the large bodyguard watching over Elz and Kayci regularly, much more than he watched the other patrons. There was something going on between the three of them, it was obvious. Bull began to piece the information he had gathered together, sitting next to the door on a spare chair now, he could still see everyone in the room.

By the time the clock above the bar showed two am, Maddison had entered the club, the main store must close at that time. He watched how she interacted with the people around the bar, waiting until she spotted one man that didn’t look too interested in the cuffs and ties. His suspicions were correct, she wasn’t into the bondage. She ran her fingers over the stranger’s arm, standing very close to him. Something twitched inside of him. Was he feeling jealous over a simple gesture?

 

Kayci moved around the building, doing one last check before she closed completely, she had sent Dorian and Dagna into The Playroom to wait for her while she locked up. Maddison had already left with whoever she had picked up. She didn’t bother to check who it was. Maddison had her own way of dealing with her issues, and Kayci had decided to let her do what she wanted, it was easier than arguing. She checked the store, happy with how everything had been left, before emptying the register, she never left money on site just to be safe. As she moved to turn off the lights she noticed that the switch was hanging awkwardly from the wall. She twitched, reaching for it. “Dagna.” She huffed, walking towards the door, turning the lights off at a different switch. All these extra people being under her feet was driving her crazy. She needed to blow off some steam.

Lucky for her, her partners’ were both waiting to join her at home. They had offered to take Bull home for her, freeing up some space in her car. The large man simply fit awkwardly in the small vehicle. Entering the main club room, she looked at Dagna and Dorian, leaning drunkenly on each other near the door. “Come on you two, we’re leaving now.” She stated as she emptied the second register. The two grinned at her, swaying slightly.

“How on earth are we getting to your home?” Dorian asked, pointing to the door. “There are no horses out there.” His eyes looked like there weren’t quite focusing on her. Kayci sighed.

“I have a car, I’ll explain it on the way.” She grabbed them both by the wrists, dragging them out of the building. They both complained at the rough treatment. She let them go, locking the door behind her. “Oh stop complaining, or I’ll give you something to complain about.” She shoved them towards the private parking lot, noting that Kyle’s black Hummer H1 was already gone. She unlocked her Honda Jazz, climbing into the drivers’ seat. Dorian and Dagna looked confused.

“How exactly do we get inside that?” Dagna asked, leaning closer. Kayci sighed exhaustedly, climbing back out and walking around to the passengers’ side, opening the door. Dagna climbed into the front seat, looking around the car excitedly. “Oh I have to know how this works.”

“Tomorrow.” Kayci practically growled at her. She moved, opening the back door for Dorian. “Pull the strap over your body and click it into the small plug next to your butt.” She stated, before slamming the door behind the drunken man. She slid back into the drivers’ seat, starting the engine. Dorian looked pale.

“What kind of magic is this?” he practically whispered, staring at the stereo as it lit up.

“It’s not magic, just sit back, please.” Kayci spoke before the music started. This was going to be a long night.

 

Bull smiled, this transport was much more comfortable. It was large, plenty of room for him to move about. The belt didn’t bite at his chest as he breathed. Kyle looked at him in the revision mirror. “You look comfortable.”

“The Dwarf’s transport was so small, I felt like I was suffocating.” He answered plainly, looking at the interior. “Yours is better suited to someone built like me.”

“The Boss thinks it’s too big.” Kyle said with a shrug.

Bull watched the two men in the front seat. Elz had a small tattoo on the back of his neck, just below his hairline, a series of numbers. He looked at Kyle, noticing a similar tattoo peeking out from his sleeve. The way they held themselves, alone in the front seat, he could tell they were involved privately as well as with Kayci. “You seem to know the girls well.”

“Oh we do!” Elz turned to speak, grinning. His brown eyes glinting in the dull light of the street lanterns. “Kyle and I have known Kayci for… oh I don’t know… three years now?” Kyle simply nodded. “They moved here from the country about two years ago. We didn’t really get to know Maddison properly until about a year ago.” His demeanour changed during his last sentence. “But we’re not at liberty to discuss that.” He grinned again. “If your important to them, you’ll know.”

Bull nodded, taking it in. So there had been a tragedy or something similar around a year ago, he had been right. “I won’t push it.” He blinked as they turned into the transport building at Kayci and Maddison’s home. “I thought this place looked big enough for more transports.”

“Maddison had a car too, but she hasn’t brought a new one yet.” Kyle stated plainly. “We best get in and relieve the General.”

Bull rose an eyebrow at the comment. “The General?”

“Oh that’s just his pet name for Maddison’s grandmother. I suppose you haven’t really had much to do with her yet.” Elz joked. “You don’t want to see her on a mission, or angry. That old lady packs one hell of a punch.”

Bull chuckled softly. “I thought she was hiding something when she was talking to me earlier.” He released himself from the transport, walking towards the door they had used earlier that night. “Would she really still be here if Maddison returned over an hour ago?”

“Possibly, there’s a chance Maddie hasn’t made it into the house yet.” Elz smiled. “the Spa really is the best place to have sex with someone without leaving too much evidence, especially if their bed is broken.”

“I see.” Bull frowned, crossing his arms.

 

Dorian stood in the entrance to the bedroom he had been offered, nodding. It was right next to their library. He smiled to himself, they must have had plenty of money to afford such a nice house. It did surprise him that they had no slaves, maybe it was frowned upon here. He sighed, looking around the room. Dagna had refused to come up the stairs, being a dwarf he figured she liked being closer to the ground. Stretching, he realised he wasn’t tired. Maybe he could have a look around while everyone else was busy. He moved out of the room, deciding to check each room.

The first door he opened was a bedroom, a familiar figure sitting on the bed. “Bull?”

“Dorian?” Bull looked over at him. “You’ve decide it would be better to ride The Bull?”

“Not in your lifetime.” Dorian snapped at him. “I’m just looking around.” He noted how much more attractive The Iron Bull was in this form, he didn’t even smell as bad. “You must be curious what they have hidden around.”

“I just keep expecting some demon to come and try to steal my face.” Bull said with a shrug. “There isn’t anything up here that’s interesting, a couple of bedrooms, the library, a couple of bathrooms, though I suggest you stay out of the one joined to Maddison’s bedroom, the Dwarf will kill you.”

“So you tried it?” Dorian smiled, leaning on the doorframe.

“I tried to follow her and got a rolling pin to the side of the head.” He sighed. “I complimented her and got a shoe to the face. I think the Dwarf is secretly a rouge.”

“I doubt it.” Dorian huffed. “I’m going to go check on Dagna, make sure she’s staying out of trouble. Kayci gave up her bedroom since Dagna wouldn’t climb the stairs.”

“Fair enough.” Bull shrugged, before lying on his bed properly. “Don’t come running in if it’s not important.”

Dorian rolled his eyes, heading downstairs. He found Dagna, smiling at her. the poor thing was already asleep, still in her clothes from the day. It was exhausting taking everything in from this world in, it was all so different. Exciting. He looked around the room, noticing a door to the far end. There was a curtain over it, similar to those at the club. He blinked, walking closer. He had always been curious of secrets, moving to touch the curtain. They were so soft, velvety. He smiled, pushing them aside, touching the doorhandle slowly, he opened the door just a crack, his eyes widening at what he saw. Kayci was practically naked, only wearing her corset now, he crinkled his nose. How could anyone find a woman’s body attractive. He noted a similar contraption as there had been at the club in the centre of the room, facing the door, one of her friends was strapped to it, his blonde hair sticking to his forehead from the sweat. And standing to one side, just as naked was the larger fellow from the club.  As he watched, Kayci moved gripping the blonde’s member in her hand. There was a small object in her hand that Dorian couldn’t quite make out. She squatted down, placing the shiny end of the object at the entrance to the blonde’s urethra, before pushing it in slowly. Dorian went pale. That poor man was being tortured.

Closing the door again quickly, Dorian left the room, heading back up to his bedroom. He was never going to see that busty woman the same again.

 

Maddison moved her wet clothes awkwardly on her body. She hated that she had to dress again before heading up to her bedroom, she knew everyone was home now, as the sun was beginning to rise. She moved, opening the door as quietly as she could, blinking as she spotted Sera downstairs. The pup perked up as she heard the door, running over to her. Maddison scratched her ears. “Why are you down here girl?” she moved towards the stairs, climbing them slowly. She could hear Bull snoring in the spare room, but nothing else. Kayci must have been in her soundproofed room still. She moved towards her bedroom, deciding that a shower would be best. Sera followed her happily, before pausing in the doorway, looking towards the room Bull was using. Maddison smiled. “Go on, I’m sure you want to sleep at the foot of his bed tonight.” She scratched the pup’s ears again. “He has that air of protection, doesn’t he?” Sera yapped softly, before trotting off to the room.

Pushing her bathroom door open, Maddison sighed. There had to be something wrong with this. There was no way that her three favourite npcs had gotten into her world. She sighed, removing her clothes, placing them in her dirty clothes basket. Carefully, she walked over to her shower. A long hot shower would help, taking a slow breath, she turned the hot tap.

Stepping into the shower, she closed her eyes, letting the scolding water run over her body. Flashes of a face long forgotten entered her head, causing her to gasp. Her eyes snapped open, looking around the room. She was alone. Sliding down the wall of the shower, she shuddered. She was finally getting better, why was she having a break down now? She rocked slightly as she hugged her knees, sitting on the floor of the shower. It was all just a dream, it had to be. She shook her head, looking at the shower screen in front of her. If this was a dream, she might as well make the most of it. The next day would be different.

 

Maddison didn’t wake until lunch time, when Sera jumped on her. She grumbled, having slept on the floor of her bedroom. All of her muscles hurt. She sighed heavily, sitting up, her nightshirt tangled awkwardly around her breasts. “Sera, please.” She pushed the pup down, looking over to her door. she was going to have to get back into the habit of closing her door, with all these extra people in her house. She pulled her shirt back down, smoothing it out. It reached her knees, hiding anything she didn’t want visible from the world. Scratching her hair, she headed towards the kitchen, maybe some food would wake her up. As she reached the stairs a familiar scent met her nose, her grandma’s cooking.

Moving a little faster, she took the stairs two at a time, before turning into the kitchen. “Grandma?” she smiled, hugging her grandmother from behind. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought you could all use a decent meal.” Pat answered, smiling at her. “Besides, you have a lot of guests, it’s only right that I help out.”

“You didn’t have to Grandma, I’m sure we could have ordered out.” Maddison smiled, hugging her again. “Am I the last one up?”

“Yes, you are.” Kayci’s voice found her ears. Maddison turned, feeling guilty.

“I’m sorry, Kace, I didn’t mean to sleep late.” She ran her fingers through her hair awkwardly, before looking back at her grandma. “Please tell me you don’t think I slept with anyone here.”

“No, Kayci explained that they’re all guests from out of town. Though at least the two new ones have almost normal names.” Pat commented. “The one with the leather is pretty cute too.”

“Oh Grandma, no!” Maddison stuck her tongue out. “Gross!” she walked out of the room, heading into the dining room. She smiled as she spotted everyone sitting around the table. They were all chatting between themselves as if it were the most normal thing in the world. She moved, sitting in her spot, which was somehow still empty.

Dagna smiled at her. “Miss Kayci wouldn’t let anyone sit there, she said you’d cry.” Maddison’s cheeks burned red, did Kayci really think she’d cry if someone sat in her spot? Sulk yes, cry… well maybe.

“Thanks, Dagna.” Maddison reached for a plate. “How did you sleep?”

“Like a rock!” Dagna exclaimed cheerfully, looking at Dorian and Bull. “Though, I don’t think Dorian slept well, he looks like he didn’t get any at all.”

“I am perfectly fine, thank you.” Dorian snapped at her, trying to smooth his facial hair out. Bull snorted at him.

“Is that why you came running into my room swearing that the Dwarf was torturing Elz?”

“She was!” Dorian hissed at him. “I saw them.” Bull sniggered at him, rolling his eyes. Maddison smiled, knowing exactly what he had seen.

“You saw nothing.” Kayci warned, entering the room just before Pat. “Elz will be back in an hour with some papers for you guys. If you’re going to be in our world you need to blend in. You’ll need clothes, phones, probably a tablet each.” She groaned. “You know how much this is going to cost us?” she sat heavily in her chair. “I will be coming to collect from each of you.”

All colour left Dorian’s face.


	4. chapter 4

**==Chapter 4==**

Krem stood silently in the Gull and Lantern, watching The Inquisitor make her way towards the building. They had been using the tavern to discuss issues with the Inquisitor’s missing friends. It had been over a week and the Chief was still missing. They had discovered that Dagna and Dorian didn’t take any of their things with them either. Someone had to have gotten rid of them, just as they suspected. He had something important to discuss with the Inquisitor, alone. He had a plan, but he might need backing from larger force than the Chargers.

 

The Inquisitor entered the tavern, spotting Krem instantly. He wasn’t wearing his armour, he was much skinnier than she expected. She smiled softly, waving. “Krem.”

“Your Worship.” Krem nodded to her. “I have something of great importance to discuss with you.”

“I figured.” The Inquisitor smiled more. She sat on the table next to him, waiting for him to start talking.

“I have a plan, but I don’t know if you’ll like it.” He sighed, looking into her eyes. “The Chief is gone, and we’re pretty sure it was Leliana who got rid of him. I need you to get in good with Cullen, if we have at least one of your advisers on our side we might have a better chance at taking her out. We need the extra support from his troops, they respect him, and they respect you.” He rubbed the back of his head, taking a step back. “I know it’s asking a lot, and it might not seem like a good plan.”

“I’ll do it.” The Inquisitor cut him off. “Cullen isn’t that bad, and he isn’t exactly ugly. I could stomach it, if it meant getting our friends back.”

“Then we have a decent plan.” Krem smiled. “I’ll let the others know, you get back to Skyhold and work your magic.” He smiled a little wider at her. “You’re pretty enough it shouldn’t take much effort.”

The Inquisitor blushed, looking at him closely. “Are you sure about this?”

“We need him on our side, Your Worship, there’s no other way. I’m not exactly into men.”

“Fair enough.” The Inquisitor stood up, moving towards the door. “Stay safe, Krem.”

 

\--line break—

 

Bull frowned, sitting with his arms crossed. Elz had returned with different articles for them to sign, but he had to have a different name. Maddison and Kayci were arguing between themselves. “Billie sounds horrible.” Kayci snapped at Maddison, looking as if she were about to burst.

“It has to have a B in it, or it won’t work at all.” Maddison argued, standing up.

“Do I get a say?” Bull asked, looking at them.

“No!” they both snapped at him. He moved back a little, surprised at how quickly they had become angry. He knew that Kayci had a temper, but Maddison’s had surprised him most.

“What about Ben?” Kayci asked. “Like Ben-Hassrath?” Bull frowned, they really did know much too much about him.

“No, that’s too obvious.” Maddison sat back in her chair, rubbing her temples. “Oh!” She grinned, looking up. “Robert Hissrad. It combines his former Qun name, which sounds like a last name anyway, and Robert suits how he looks now.”

“I like it.” Kayci replied, looking back to Elz. “Put that on the birth certificate.” She looked at Bull again. Bull didn’t like that look, she was judging him. “Put his birth year as nineteen seventy eight, that makes him thirty seven this year. Since its only march his birthday can be later in the year, maybe in July.”

Elz smiled, scribbling notes next to the blank birth certificates. Maddison looked over his shoulder. “Dagna will be Dagna Smith born in late August nineteen eighty five, since she’s of the smith cast, and Dorian is lucky, he can keep his normal name, born November first nineteen eighty five, as they were both born in nine eleven dragon.”

“How exactly do you know these things, my dear?” Dorian looked at them curiously.

Maddison shrugged, smiling at him. “I played the game a lot.”

 

Kayci sighed softly, looking over her list of supplies she still needed to buy. “ok, I’ve ordered Maddison’s new bed, it will be here before eight pm, I’ll be at work by then, but I can take you all shopping, you will have until three thirty pm.” She looked at Elz. Maddison made a disapproving noise, looking at her.

“Big crowds, me, I don’t think so.” Maddison complained. Kayci groaned, Maddison’s fear of groups was getting on her nerves. Sooner or later she would have to face her fear, but until then Kayci had to keep calling in favours from her clients.

“I’ve called in a favour and closed Myers down for the day.” She hated flashing her money around that way, a habit left over from when the two of them had no money to speak of. She noted the way Bull moved as they spoke. Dorian just looked amused.

“Oh I am so there.” Elz said with a grin.

“Was there ever a doubt, we’re going shopping. I’ll need you to bring your car so we can spread out a little, or someone will be sitting on someone else’s lap.”

“I would so sit on the big guy’s lap.” Elz chirped, grinning at Bull.

“No!” Kayci shot him a glare, she was frustrated. “You’ll take Maddie and Dagna in your car, and I’ll take these two.”

Bull made a noise of protest. Kayci looked up at him, having begun to reach for her shoe. “You really wanna go there, Mr.”

“No.” Bull huffed, crossing his arms again. “Your car is just so small.”

“Once Maddison is comfortable enough to buy a new car you can go with her. Until then, you will get over it and squeeze into mine.” She rubbed her temples, she had one hell of a headache coming.

 

Maddison sat quietly in the back seat of Elz’s Nissan Pulsar, sighing. “Fairy, can I at least pick the music?”

“Are you going to put that horrible screaming music on?” Elz glanced at her in the revision mirror. Maddison shook her head. “Then fine, just no screamo.”

“You know I barely even listen to that anymore.” She pulled her phone out, connecting it to the Bluetooth in his car. Scrolling through her playlist, she found the perfect song. Our love by Deejay Laura. “See, this is perfect.”

“Have you been stealing songs from the club mix again?” Elz grinned at her. “I knew we could convert you eventually.”

“Oh shut it.” She poked her tongue out at him. Dagna had her nose buried in the user’s manual for one of Maddison’s old phones. “How are you doing Dagna?”

“Some of these words make no sense, but I think I’m finally understanding it. It’s so interesting, I don’t think I ever want to get home.” She looked back a Maddison with bright eyes, grinning. “There’s so much of this technology here I need to find, I couldn’t go back until then.”

“Are you sure? Isn’t there someone back home you’ll miss?” Maddison sat forwards. “I know you and Sera were passing time.”

“We were, but she’s not here.” Dagna looked a little upset, biting her bottom lip. “I do miss her though.”

“We’ll find a way to get you guys home soon. We’re going to take you out of the city tomorrow for a few days, so you can get used to our world without having all this extra technology thrown in your face.” Maddison placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, trying to be comforting. “It is a big change.”

“I think we’re taking it better than The Iron Bull, not having any of his contacts here, not knowing anything at all, he must be hating it.” Dagna looked out the window, sighing softly. “At least Dorian and I can read a book or take something apart to see how it works.”

“I imagine he feels like everything is out of his control, and he hates it.” Maddison looked out the other window, knowing exactly how it feels. She used to be in control of her life, everything was going how she had always dreamed, until it wasn’t. It had taken her over a year to get back to being this good again.

 

As they parked at the shopping centre, Maddison looked around. It was a Sunday, so it was fairly quiet anyway, but Kayci calling in a favour helped even more. As they walked into Myers, there were only three workers present. They smiled at the small group as they entered. She smiled awkwardly as she backed behind Bull. He looked down at her, his eyes glinting with concern. “Are you ok?”

“I-I’m fine.” Maddison hated that he made her stutter, it was so embarrassing. She moved a little, rubbing her right arm lightly. “Just not used to walking into a big place and being noticed straight away.”

“Who wouldn’t notice you?” Bull frowned a little, looking her over. Maddison moved, tugging her baggy hoody a little. He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you think because you wear baggy clothes people don’t notice you.”

“They don’t usually.” Maddison argued. “Just, go find some clothes you don’t hate. You’ll need jackets, shirts, pants, underwear, shoes and socks.” She turned away from him, shoving her hands into her pockets. “I’m going to go find something for myself.”

 

Bull frowned as Maddison walked off by herself. Kayci placed a hand in front of him. “Don’t worry about her, she’s not good at being out in the public eye like this. At The Playroom she’s fine, she works there, but here, she’s vulnerable.”

“I see.” Bull turned back to the merchants, looking at a very petite woman. “I need the big stuff.” He stated plainly. She blushed, using her hand to indicate a section to the right.

“If you’ll follow me, Sir.” She lead him over to the large section.

Dorian had disappeared as soon as he spotted a section to the left, and Dagna followed Kayci to a section towards the back of the store. Bull sighed, looking around the section, picking random pairs of pants off of the shelf to try on. As he turned towards the shirts, his eyes widened. A smile formed on his lips, walking slightly faster towards the formal shirts. There were pink shirts for men, in his size. He took three of them, each looking slightly different, piling them up on the merchant’s arms. He found a few other t-shirts, finding this more interesting than he ever thought. As he pulled a jacket off of the shelf, Kayci walked towards him. “Finding everything you need?” She looked at the merchant. “You know, she’s not really that big, give her much more and she’ll fall down.”

“You told me to pick out clothes I didn’t hate.” Bull said with a shrug. “Can I ask you some questions?”

“I guess.” Kayci rested one hand on her hip. “I might not have answers though.”

Bull sighed, trying the jacket on over what he was already wearing. “How do you know so much about our world?”

Kayci nodded then turned to the petit merchant. “Why don’t you run those into the change room for us. We’ll head that way shortly.” Turning back to Bull she stated, “I was wondering when you were going to ask. There are some seats over near the shoes we can use while I answer your questions.” With that Kayci headed to the seats. Bull removed the jacket and followed.

“So how is it Maddie and I know so much about Thedas?” The dwarf started as soon as Bull got comfortable. “Here in this world we have many forms of entertainment. One form of entertainment is what we call video games, where a person plays out a story or objective on a computer, tablet, cell phone or a console attached to a television. About six years ago a game was released called Dragon Age Origins.” The dwarf paused seeming to look inwards for a way to explain things further. Bull already had questions on what and how playing occurred. Realising that it would be better to not interrupt right now, he kept silent.

“Now the story for this game follows a protagonist that is individualised by the player. It could be a dwarf casteless to a Dalish and even a human mage. But the premise of the story is what you would know as the story of the Hero of Fereldan.” Bull took in a breath.

“How? How is it possible that this world has heard of Cousland. Has she been here before?” Bull leaned more towards the dwarf.

 

Noticing how close Bull was getting, Kayci lifted her hands. “Whoa. How about you wait until the end and then ask further questions. Cousland. Right so human noble.” Kayci had to  think, if this was Maddie’s play through then, “In the game we followed Cousland’s journey from her joining at Ostagar, to her meeting her companions. Even her budding romance with the Warden Alistair. We even followed her through the trials of the lands meet in Denerim. And of course her final fight with the Arch Demon. It is mainly through this story that players like myself and Maddie learnt a great deal about Fereldan and some history of Thedas.” Kayci stopped, noticing that Bull had gone a bit pale. “Are you taking this okay? Do you need me to stop for a bit?”

Bull swallowed and shook his head. “No keep going I have to hear this.” and a little quieter, “I need to.” Kayci then began to see exactly how much not knowing anything was affecting Bull. She placed a hand over one of his clenched fists.

“Okay then.” Squeezing his hand then releasing it, Kayci continued. “Two years later another game was released, Dragon Age 2. This game had us following the sarcastic mage, Garrett Hawke, from his escape of the darkspawn in Fereldan to his rise in becoming the Champion of Kirkwall over the span of ten years. It is through Hawke that we learnt about the politics between the Mages and Templars, and also where we learnt a bit about the Qunari.” Again Kayci notice Bull looking a little shaken. “They were not portrayed as evil or anything like that. More that they had a very different view on life. But that is normal where ever one finds themselves. A differing of opinions without thought of  compromise, that pretty much sums up the journey of Hawke. We even see how Anders started the rebellion by destroying the Chantry in Kirkwall.”

Bull’s hands were clenched so tight that his knuckles were white. Kayci pried his fingers loose and held his hands in hers. They were still warrior hands, hardened with calluses and to her astonishment, “You have all your fingers? In the game that came along three years later you’re missing two of them.” Bull snorted, focussing on his hands.

“Yeah, another reminder this isn’t my body.”

Kayci looked at Bull. “The last game to come out is called Dragon Age Inquisition. I’m sure you don’t need for me to explain how it follows the Lady Trevelyan through her struggles to unite Fereldan, Orlais and the Free Marches against Corypheus. It is through her that we really begin to learn about the races, politics and issues of Thedas. As well as getting to know a few lovable people. You for one, Dorian, Dagna, Cassandra, Varric and Sera. That’s why Maddie named her Puppy Sera.” Looking at Bull he seemed to be doing his best at trying to keep himself from reacting. Kayci squeezed his hands, getting him to focus on her. “How about you give yourself some time to process this and go through and create a list of questions. Maddie and I decided that we should all go back to her Dad’s tomorrow to give you all a chance to acclimatise to this world. After all you, have all been thrust into this pretty quickly.” Making sure Bull understood that the list of questions was a task she wanted completed, she stood up and pulled him up with her. Hopefully having a task will help him process the information.

 

Bull wasn’t fooled he knew the reason the dwarf asked for the list, and he couldn’t help but be a bit grateful for the task. He looked to her, her touch had been a comfort. He wondered if he had asked Maddison the same question just how honest she would have been. He looked to the stairs near them. “We’re going to her father’s home?” He sighed, trying to focus his brain again. This information was like demon speak, he still couldn’t be sure that he wasn’t stuck in the fade. “Is it as fancy as yours?”

“Not by a long shot.” The Dwarf smiled at him. “We moved out of this tiny town to the north, her dad’s house is large enough, but nothing like ours.” She moved, pushing him into a room with a curtain in the doorway. “Try on your clothes, I’ll be back in a moment, I need to check on Dorian.” Bull felt his hands clench again, closing his eyes to steady himself again. He really needed someone to beat him with a stick.

 

Maddison sat on the floor in front of the plus sized section upstairs. She found these to be the clothes she liked better, even if she wasn’t technically plus sized anymore. Running her fingers through her hair she flopped backwards, eyes focusing on the stairs. Dagna stepped off of the stairs, looking uncomfortable. “Hi.” She waved awkwardly. Maddison waved, not moving. “Kayci said these clothes would fit my build better, since I’m not exactly tall.”

“You’re prefect the way you are, Dagna.” Maddison rested her arm over her eyes. “You’re roughly a size sixteen to eighteen, from the look of you, you want the clothes on the rack to my right. If you want help let me know.” She didn’t really feel like helping, she truly wanted to be at home curled up in her room.

Dagna sat next to her on the floor. “You know, everything here is so strange, and wonderful. It’s like I’m dreaming for the first time.” She smiled at Maddison, moving to touch her arm. “Are you ok?”

“I should be asking you that.” She smiled at the kindly dwarf, sitting up slowly. “I’ve got some personal issues I’m still fighting with, I don’t really get out much, unless I need to go to work.” She pulled her knees up, hugging them to her chest awkwardly. “I feel like this is a dream too, like you Dorian and Bull are going to disappear again and I’ll be stuck back in my normal boring world, with my issues overflowing again.”

Dagna smiled at her, gently touching her shoulder. “I’m pretty sure we’re here, as much as it seems like a dream. Maybe the residual magic left from the breach caused this. If I had my tools I’d be able to measure it, but my tools are all back in Skyhold.”

“My dad might have some stuff you can work with. He’s a mechanic.” She smiled. “I think you’ll like it there, he works on cars, takes them apart, fixes them and puts them back together.”

“Really?” Dagna’s eyes sparkled. “Do you think he’d show me how?”

“I’m sure he would. He hates that I wouldn’t learn, and my brother refused to be a mechanic.” Maddison smiled, standing up. “Here, come and have a look at the clothes with me, I’ll help you pick some really nice stuff.”

Together, they found many nice outfits for the dwarf to wear, including five formal ones. Maddison smiled, feeling more comfortable with Dagna than she expected. It was like finding a long lost sister who needed help learning the ropes. Once they had tried on the outfits, Maddison lead Dagna back down the stairs. “I guess it’s weird for you huh? Climbing all these stairs, and being so far off of the ground.”

“It is a little, but I’m getting used to it.” She smiled brightly. “Besides, how else can I learn everything about this world, I can’t hide on the bottom floor.”

The two giggled together as they reached the front counter. Maddison looked to the side, gasping. “We haven’t got you shoes yet.” She placed the clothes on the bench, before dragging the dwarf over to the shoe section. “I figure your more of a boot girl, but you really should have a pair of sandshoes too.”

 

Bull looked up as he heard Maddison’s voice. He was in the middle of trying on different pairs of shoes with the merchant. He felt his lips twist into a smile, she sounded much more cheerful. That would have to be one of his questions. What happened to her over the last year? Why did she not have a car anymore? He moved, sitting back in the seat behind him. The way she spoke with Dagna made his stomach twinge. It was that strange feeling again, pulling at his stomach and making him feel sick. He clenched his fist, listening into the women chatter. The Merchant touched his knee softly. “Sir, are you happy with those boots?”

“Yeah, whatever.” He grunted at her, kicking the boot off again. It had fit perfectly, and nearly looked like his boots from his world. He rested his head against his hand, looking to the dwarf as she walked towards him again. “I know a few questions I need answered.”

“It’s too soon now, keep thinking over the next few days.” She smiled at him, there was a warmth in her actions now. Did she know something he didn’t? Maybe she could tell just how angry not knowing anything made him. He stood up, looking down at her.

“Are we done here? It’s nearly time you told us we needed to finish.” He pointed at the clock. Kayci nodded, pulling her purse from her bag. At least purses still looked similar.

“I’ve just got to pay, then you can carry everything back to the car, Elz will be waiting with his purchases.”

“I noticed he disappeared with Dorian.” Bull noted how her smile changed when he mentioned the Vint. “You know he’s gay and scared of you right?”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t try to be friends with him.” She stated with a shrug, before leading the way towards the door again. One of the merchants was standing there with a similar device to in Kayci’s store. He watched as she began to pay for the items, each on a different slip. He frowned. The Dwarf looked up at him. “These are visa cards, made of plastic, electronically connected to our banks, so we don’t have to carry our money everywhere with us.”

“I see.” he frowned more. This world was too much for him. He turned to see Maddison and Dagna bringing over many boxes of shoes. He raised an eyebrow at them. “Need that many pairs Dagna?”

“They aren’t all for me.” Dagna said with a smile. “Maddison noticed a few pairs she wanted for herself.” Maddison blushed, smiling at him. He smiled back, something about the way she smiled made him want to smile back, no matter how confused and angry he was. He reached out, taking the boxes from her arms. Dagna huffed. “You could offer to take mine too.”

“You’re strong enough to carry your own.” Bull told her, winking. “Besides, Sera would kill me.” As he turned to place the boxes on the counter he felt something hard smack into the side of his head. One of the shoes he had just picked out landed at his feet, Kayci not even looking at him. He snorted at her. “Really? You’re going to throw things just because I’m being nice?”

“You are not just being nice.”

 

Maddison smiled, blushing a little. She looked around. “Where’s Dorian?” she looked up, having expected him to be with them by now. She sighed. “Kace, what is that Fairy doing to the Sparkler?”

“No idea.” Kayci answered, not looking at her, still arguing with Bull. She huffed, turning.

“I’ll go look then.” She walked deeper into the store, towards the clothes she assumed Dorian would be drawn to. She smiled as she spotted the two of them. She had been right, they were chatting quietly, Dorian looking very flustered. “You boys ok?”

“Just fine, Darling.” Elz spoke first, grinning at her. He grinned, having a trolley filled with different suits and fancy shirts. “This sweet young boy was so worried about me!” He slipped an arm around Dorian’s waist, as he wasn’t quite as tall as the Tevinter. “He must have accidently seen us last night when we were playing around. Poor thing is worried Kayci will do the same to him.”

“I am not afraid, I simply don’t see how one could find that pleasurable.” Dorian huffed, crossing his arms. “I worried that she was abusing you.”

“Far from abuse, Darling, it’s so very consensual.” Elz moved back to Maddison. “He’s got impeccable taste in clothes, oh, and your buying me a few new suits.”

“Aww come on, Fairy, you can buy your own suits.” Maddison complained, looking at the trolley. “Tell me most of these are for Dorian.”

“Yes, most of them are for me. The horrid purple one is for him.” Dorian looked at her. “Is there somewhere I can get some hair supplies?”

“Of course, come with me.” Maddison smiled. She had forgotten that Dorian put a lot of work into his look. Leading him to the cosmetics, she looked at him. He wasn’t much taller than she, and he definitely didn’t look his age. She pointed to the hair products. “I have no idea about men’s products, sorry.” She watched him, smiling. He looked like a kid in a candy store.

“These are amazing, look at them all.” Dorian began to look at each wax, smiling as he did so. She smiled, it was so strange, she knew so much about them from her game plays, but meeting them in real life was so different.

“Dorian, does your magic work here?” She knew it was probably a tender subject, a mage that didn’t have his magic anymore was a punishment back in Thedas.

“Not as of yet, but I’m not tranquil, so at least I know I haven’t been deemed unfit to handle my magic.” He smoothed his moustache out, smiling in the little mirror. “I’m assuming that in this world because there is no Fade, I can’t connect with my magic.” He turned back to her. “I’ll take this one.” He handed her the small tub of wax, before turning to look at the eyeliners. “I want to study your world, I might find a way to reconnect with my magic if I do so, though it is nice not having to fight demons and such every minute of the day.”

“I bet it is.” She smiled. “The best ones of those to use, are the pencil liner, creamy not liquid.” She pointed to the one she used. “I use that one, I’m assuming yours is more of a charcoal not jet black.”

“Right you are, my dear.” He smiled at her. “Talking to you is so natural, I don’t feel like we’re strangers around you.”

Maddison blushed a little, smiling at him brightly. “I feel the same. Though I’m not convinced I’m not having a mental breakdown.”

“If your mind was breaking, you’d know.” He patted her shoulder lightly, before taking the liner he had chosen. “let’s get back to the others.”


	5. Chapter 5

**==chapter 5==**

The Inquisitor stood in the doorway to Cullen’s office. She had been spending a lot more time with him in the last week, and it was starting to show. He had given her a coin that his brother had given him when they were children and he was going off to train to be a Templar. She looked at him as he worked, completely oblivious to her presence. She counted herself lucky that she was friends with him during their ordeal, it was easier to get close to him now. She sighed, stepping inside. “Cullen, can we talk?”

“Of course.” He smiled at her, running a hand awkwardly through his hair. “What did you wish to discuss?”

“It’s about our missing friends.” She looked at his desk, smiling as she noted it was still ever so slightly wonky. “It’s been over two weeks. They should have turned up somewhere by now.”

“I know you’re worried, but do you think they could have simply returned home?” He walked closer, taking her hand in his.

“Bull is a Tal-Vashoth, Dorian is a pariah and Dagna cannot return to Orzammar.” She laced her fingers with his, looking into his eyes. “What if someone… got rid of them.”

“What do you mean?” He tilted his head, eyes turning serious. “Do you think someone is secretly thinning out The Inquisition?”

“I do.” She bit her lip slowly. “and I think I know who.”

 

“You can’t be suggesting that she would do that?”

“We can’t talk about it here.” The Inquisitor placed a finger over his lips. “She has eyes and ears everywhere.”

Cullen frowned at her, holding her hand tighter. She smiled at him softly, moving to kiss his cheek. “I’m investigating, I just… wanted you to know. Be safe.” She removed her hand from his, before heading out of the office. She knew that he was only a means to an end, but she had to admit, having someone in the castle that still cared for her like that made her feel warm inside.

 

\--line break—

 

They were up with the sun on Monday morning, Maddison stretching as she left her bedroom. It had been a long time since she returned to her home town. Moving towards the stairs, she spotted Bull waiting. Blinking, she looked at him. “What’s up?”

“You’re the first one up, I wasn’t sure how to use your kitchen, so I’ve been waiting.” He admitted, looking away from her. “I read some of the manuals left down here, but they didn’t make a lot of sense to me.”

“Do you…” Maddison took a deep breath, before smiling at him awkwardly. “do you want me to show you how to turn everything on?”

“If you want.” Bull looked away, almost awkwardly. He shifted the weight on his feet, wearing a simple pair of track pants and a t-shirt. She took in how he looked, feeling the beat of her heart speed up a little. He moved, walking into the kitchen. “I found the bread, and eggs and bacon, but I don’t know how to light the stove or use the toasting machine.”

“I’ll show you, it’s pretty easy.” She smiled, taking a large pan out from the cupboard, placing it on the stovetop. “We have gas, so you turn this little knob, and push this button in.” she showed him as she did so, the flame starting instantly. She saw him tense as she turned to him. “it’s just like a regular fire, but we have a gas system instead of a wood system.” She placed enough slices of bacon in the pan to feed all five of them. “Once the bacon is cooked I’ll do the eggs, and while they’re in I’ll show you how to do the toast.” She placed a hand on his arm. “You’ll get the hang of it.”

“I don’t know.” Bull looked uncomfortable. He moved away from the stove, heading towards the door outside from the dining room. Maddison turned the flame to low, before covering the pan with a lid. She followed him slowly, still in her nightshirt, but wearing a pair of loose fitting track pants. “I have so many questions, I don’t know where to start.”

Maddison sat on the patio steps, patting next to her. “I might not have answers, but it might be nice to get the questions out in the open.” He sat heavily next to her, watching Sera play on the grass in front of them.

“I don’t want to get too personal too fast.” Bull admitted. “I’m used to keeping my distance and finding out information through reports.” He sighed. “It’s not like that here, I feel myself slipping more and more into this strange human body, feeling things that I really shouldn’t feel.” He looked at her slowly. “I know I’ve been changing since I joined The Inquisition, but this is different. I feel like I’m losing myself.”

“You only feel that way because things aren’t in your control.” Maddison placed a hand on his. “I know what it’s like, spiralling out of control in life, unable to catch your footing.” She looked away. “I still don’t feel like I’m fully grounded again, things still don’t feel right.”

 

Bull looked at her slowly. The way she spoke, he thought she wanted to open up. She had tried to comfort him, tried to be supportive. He smiled weakly, moving to brush some of her hair back behind her ear. “What happened to you?” Her whole body went stiff, turning to look at him with wide, scared eyes. she stood quickly, taking two large steps back from him.

“Don’t touch me.” She nearly snapped it at him, practically panting. He couldn’t figure out what had snapped inside her. “You can’t ask me that. You don’t get to ask that!” She dropped to the grass, hugging her knees tightly. “This isn’t happening, it’s not happening.” She was practically screaming it. He backed away from her as Sera ran over and growled at him, placing herself between them. He could see silvery tears running down her face as she repeated the words over and over again. Before he could react something hit the back of his head, landing on the wooden patio with a clunk. He turned his eyes to it, recognising the rolling pin. He backed away further away as Kayci ran out of the house, still in her pyjamas, breasts flopping from side to side with the faster motion.

“What the hell did you do?!” She yelled at him, “I suggest you go inside before I find something sharper than a rolling pin to throw at you.” The dwarf was practically taking the same position as the wolf. Knowing him being there wouldn’t help anyone, Bull retreated back into the house.

 

Kayci was woken with a start. Listening to what woke her she realised that it was Maddie screaming. Without a thought she ran towards Maddison automatically grabbing the ever present rolling pin on her way. Noticing Bull standing between Maddie and the door, Kayci automatically threw the pin at Bull to get him out of the way. When he moved, Kayci saw that Maddie was in tears on the lawn with Sera growling at Bull.

“What the hell did you do?!” Kayci was seeing red, her dearest friend was hurt and that man was the cause of it. “ I suggest you go inside before I find something sharper than a rolling pin to throw at you.” Firstly get rid of the threat, then help Maddison. As soon as Bull left Kayci knelt next to Maddie. “Maddie, it’s just me Hun.” She then placed a hand on Maddie’s shoulder, when she didn’t flinch Kayci wrapped her arms around her sobbing friend. “Oh Maddie, come on darling tell me what went wrong.”

“I’ve lost it again –hic- Kace. I’m reacting to people who aren’t even real, who just can’t be real.” Kayci sighed, she knew that Maddie might have this sort of reaction to their guests. Honestly she was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner.

“Hey Maddie,” Kayci moved to in front of Maddison, placing a hand under her chin, she tilted the younger woman’s face to look into her eyes. “If you’ve lost it, then what the hell is happening to me? I mean we just spent a shit ton of our money forging documents. Yeah for being criminals. And supplying three of the best NPCs Bioware has ever created with clothing and other essentials. I had to have Elz give Dorian ‘The Talk’ and we are both trying to keep Dagna from pulling everything apart.” Kayci took a breath, wrapping Maddie back up in her arms. “And then we have Bull who probably asked you some questions he really shouldn’t of because he is having trouble with not knowing things.” Maddie nodded. “I thought so. So yes our lives maybe took a turn for the weird, but I am absolutely sure that you have not lost it in the least.” Kayci noticed that Maddison’s breathing had settled and she wasn’t shaking as much. “Come on let’s get some breaky, I think I smell bacon.” Pulling Maddison up with her Kayci realised she’d forgotten one of the most important parts of the day before.

“Geez, even I’m becoming scatterbrained with all that’s going on. I forgot to tell you yesterday how proud I was of you. You came out shopping with us and you even helped Dagna. You did really well. I also think Dagna is going to get along with your Dad quite well, well at least better than me.” She joked as she led Maddie inside.

 

Maddison sniffled as she walked into the kitchen again. She spotted Bull cracking eggs into the pan, the bacon sitting on a plate next to the stove. She couldn’t look at him, she moved away, pulling out of Kayci’s grip. “I’m not hungry.” She moved, running up the stairs to her bedroom. Once inside she slammed the door, diving onto her brand new bed, hiding her face in the pillows. Where did he get off touching her so gently, with so much kindness? She shook her head, rubbing her nose against her pillows as she began to cry weakly again.

She heard her door open, throwing a pillow in the general direction of the door. “Nice try, but I’m the one who gets to throw things around here.” Kayci spoke, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Maddie, Darling.” She stroked her back gently. “You need to calm down, we’re going to your dad’s place, you know your going to be stuck with him in the car.”

“I’m not taking him.” Maddison stated stubbornly, rolling over to look at Kayci. “Why do I have to take him.”

“Because you’re the one borrowing your cousin’s truck.” Kayci stated, still stroking her hair. “Come on, it’ll be fun, you’ve been wanting to drive it for months.”

“Are you sure its safe for me to drive? Remember last time?” Maddison flinched at the memory. She rubbed the light scarring on her right thigh. “Are you really sure?”

“We need to get them out of the city, Maddie, it’s our only choice.”

“Can't we get Kyle to…” As she spoke Kayci grumbled.

“No Maddison, stop fighting this. It is the only way.” Kayci stood up. “And you're eating breakfast, no arguing.” She pulled the younger woman up. Maddison pouted, but followed. She knew Kayci had her best interests at heart. She followed her downstairs again, still unable to look Bull in the eye. He looked like he’d been kicked in the nuts. He was scratching Sera’s ears lightly. Maddison pouted more, so much for loyalty.

“Maddison, I…” Bull began. Maddison shook her head.

“Just… don’t.” She spoke slowly, sitting in her place at the table, not looking up. As Kayci brought the food into the dining room Dorian and Dagna joined the group. They were both wearing clothes that they brought the day before. Dorian was in some of his more casual clothes, jeans and a nice t-shirt, they suited him perfectly. Dagna was in skinny jeans and a peplum top with ¾ sleeves. She was wearing makeup, the lightest dusting of foundation and lip colour along with light eyeliner. She was so pretty.

Maddison forced herself to smile at them. “Morning you two, sleep well?”

“Perfectly.” Dorian smiled, sitting across from her. She hoped he wouldn’t pick up on the tension in the air. “I hear we’re going on a trip today? It will be nice to see more of your world, though I hope there will be more books there. I’m nearly done with the ones you gave me.”

“There will be plenty of books.” Kayci answered, sitting at the table now that all the food was ready. He smiled at her brightly, looking much less afraid today. Dagna sat next to Maddison, smiling warmly at her.

“Thankyou again for yesterday, Miss Maddison, I’ve never had such pretty clothes before.” She placed a gentle hand on Maddison’s.

“You're welcome, Dagna. All women deserve nice clothes at least once in their lives, and I don’t mean those horrible uniforms the Inquisitor had to wear to the winter palace. They were gastly.”

“Weren’t they though? I cant believe Josaphine managed to get everyone into them.” Dorian commented, taking a piece of toast and placing it on his plate. “Did you see Sera’s by the end of the night, I don’t know where she got it, but there was definitely mustard on her sash.” He chuckled.

Dagna blushed. “She does manage to get it everywhere.”

Maddison smiled, relaxing more now. Kayci was right, how on earth could they both be having the same breakdown at the same time. She moved, looking over at Bull. She couldn’t speak, like her tongue had swelled. She looked away from him again. Dorian leant over the table, whispering. “Don’t tell me you did something regrettable with him.”

“No!” maddison squeaked.

Kayci sighed softly, finishing her toast. “Let's not speak about that, did you pack bags like we asked?”

“Of course, not that we really had much to pack.” Dorian smiled at her. He pointed to the stairs, two small duffle bags visible on the bottom step. Einstein and Tesla walked around them, sniffling. Dorian sighed. “Away beasts, those are not for you.”

“Careful Dorian, those are my dogs.” Kayci smiled at him, though her tone held her warning.

 

As they finished breakfast, the doorbell rang. Maddison stood, walking towards it. “Coming!” she smiled, hoping that it was her grandmother. As she opened the door she smiled wider. “Morning Grandma, how was the drive?”

“You're cousin needs to learn some manners, he hissed at me when I arrived to pick the ute up.” She pointed at the Toyota Hylux parked on the road in front of the house. “I don’t think he appreciates how early it is.”

“Then maybe he should get a job.” Maddison shrugged, leading her inside. “There’s a little food left if you’re hungry.” She pointed to the table.

“That’s alright, I’ll get started on the dishes.”

“Oh Pat, you don’t need to do that.” Kayci called, walking out of the dining room. “We’d best discuss your role at the store while we’re away.”

Pat smiled at her. “Of course, I’ve always wondered what its like to work in such a different store.”

“Oh God.” Maddison stared at Kayci. “Really?”

“We haven’t got anyone else, and she offered.” Kayci stated with a shrug.

 

Bull moved, heading towards the stairs. “I’ll go get my bag.” His whole body felt heavy as he walked. Why had Maddison reacted that way when he touched her? was it not normal to show affection that way? He sighed, heading up the stairs. Sera was right behind him, looking much happier. The wolf confused him more than the women he was living with. She had jumped to protect Maddison, but now that the issue was over she was stuck to him like glue. He sighed, scratching her ears as he reached his bedroom. He had mostly packed his bag the night before, but he had a few last minute items he needed to throw in the bag. He wasn’t used to being able to pack so heavily, he wasn’t sure if he liked it or not. He ran his hand over the top of his head, he was beginning to get used to the loss of his horns, he even had hair all over his head now, it was growing a lot faster than he expected.

He figured he had lost the chance to ride in the larger car with Maddison, as she couldn’t even look at him. He sighed, slinging his bag over his right shoulder. He walked back down the stairs just as Maddison was heading up. He stopped, looking down at her. she stood awkwardly, she had to look at him, or she would miss her footing and fall. He moved to one side of the stairs, not speaking. Why was he so angry with himself for upsetting her? Human emotions weren’t his favourite thing, but being in this body they were getting too much. She stepped past him slowly, pausing for a moment as she was right next to him. “If… if you need to know what happened to me, you’ll have to wait. I can't talk about it yet.” She started walking again as if she hadn’t said anything.

Once he reached the bottom of the stairs he smiled at Pat and the dwarf. “Good morning, Pat.” He held out his hand. She shook it, smiling at him brightly.

“Good morning, Robert.” His skin crawled at the strange name, but he knew that was what he would have to go by in this world.

“You found out my name, huh?” he kept smiling, trying not to show his disgust in the name.

“Kayci told me.” She smiled, reaching into her bag. “I have something for you.” She pulled out a wrapped parcel. “It gets cold at night where you’re going, I thought you might need a jumper.” Bull unwrapped it, the smile leaving his face. he had no idea how to react to the hand knitted piece of clothing. It was a cream colour, with red patterns, though it was very soft. She patted his arm as she pushed past him. “Don’t screw your face up, your far too handsome to pull such ugly faces.”

He frowned more, was his face giving away his emotions in this body? He sighed, moving to place his bag against the front door. he looked to Dorian and Dagna, who were both reading again. The dwarf had left the room along with Pat, he assumed they were getting ready to leave. Moving, he sat on the chair in the middle of the front room, it was the most comfortable chair in the building, he rather liked it. Closing his eyes for a moment, he felt Sera rest her head in his lap. He smiled, scratching her ears. “You're much kinder than the Sera I know.” He commented quietly.

 

Maddison adjusted the seat in her cousin’s ute. It had been nine months since she drove a vehicle, she was going to have to get used to it again. She had the baggage in the tray of the ute, under the leather cover. This freed up more room for Bull to push his chair back. She wasn’t really comfortable being alone with him, but she was going to handle it. The drive was long, and they would be able to ignore each other for most of it. Bull moved, opening the door from the outside. “Are you ready to go?” He spoke softly, not forcing himself into the vehicle before she was ready. She nodded to him, looking back to the road in front of them.

“It’s a three hour drive, I’m taking you on the highway to cut some time down, though it isn’t as pretty.” She started the vehicle as he entered it. “Make sure you strap in.”

 

Bull winced a little as Maddison took a corner in the large car without slowing down. They were going much faster than he had ever moved in his life. He imagined it was like riding a dragon, he had wanted to try it, but now he was in it, it made him uncomfortable. He needed to know more about how this machine worked. He looked to her, noticing just how tense she was. Her knuckles were white around the steering wheel. He had spent the first two hours of the trip reading the manual for the vehicle he found in a compartment in front of him. He knew a little more about their mode of transport, and that had helped him relax a little. Maddison glanced over at him as she slowed to turn off of the road they were on. “It's only about an half an hour from here, but in a while I won't have phone signal, that means we can't contact Kayci and the others while we’re driving.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Bull frowned at her, shifting in his seat.

“Only if we crash.” Maddison answered, shrugging slowly. He moved, gripping the handle above the door. Had she crashed in this area before? He tried closing his eyes, but that didn’t make it any better. He opened them again, watching as the trees flew past them. She looked at him again. “I know you think I’m driving too fast, but I’m not even sitting on the speed limit.” She reached over, very lightly touching his hand, before jerking her hand away again. “Relax.”

 

Dorian’s eyes lit up at they entered the cellar door. He turned back to Kayci, smiling at her. “They make wine here?”

“They do indeed.” She smiled at him. “We need to pick some stuff up for Maddie’s dad, he doesn’t like me, so its always better to bring him wine.” He nodded, before walking quickly over to the display. He had no idea what kind of wine he would like from this world, but he wanted to try them all.

A woman behind the counter smiled at him. “Would you like to try a few before you buy?”

“I know what I need though.” Kayci stated, looking at the time. “If we don’t hurry Maddison will be in Orroroo before we even leave here.”

“But it's wine, we simply must taste test it.” Dorian argued, crossing his arms. Kayci sighed, nodding at him. He turned to the woman behind the counter. “Yes my dear I would like to try, well, everything.” He smiled at her.

After three different bottles, Dorian nodded to Kayci. “I will take all of them, I don’t expect to share with anyone.”

“Of course.” Kayci was holding Dagna by the sleeve, the dwarf having obviously gotten into something she wasn’t supposed to. Dorian smiled, taking the box of bottles from the merchant behind the counter. He carried them back to the car before Kayci had even paid. He knew she had enough money to cover it, that had become very obvious. He was comfortable in her car, this world had so much to offer. He watched as the women in his party re-joined him in the car. He nodded to them, pulling the electronic book Kayci had given him out of the pocket behind her seat. He was intent on finding out as much as he could about magic in this world, maybe if he could find out enough he could finally reconnect with his own abilities.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little side note guys, if you haven't caught on I'm Australian, so this story is based in South Australia. I have been using true town names and some of my wording may seem strange, this is because some of my phrases are very Australian, if you have any queries about phrases please feel free to ask me, I'm always happy to answer questions.

**==Chapter 6==**

Nearly three weeks had passed since her friends had disappeared. The Inquisitor sat on the desk in her quartes looking out the window longingly. She had made plenty of progress with Cullen, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted her Bull back. She looked to the stairs as she heard footsteps. Cullen entered her view a moment later, looking happy with himself. He was holding a bunch of wild flowers. “I… I saw these while I was riding back and thought of you.” He walked closer, holding the flowers out, he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, avoiding her eyes.

“That’s very sweet, Cullen.” She took them gently, sniffing them. “They smell wonderful.”

“I’m…” He moved to lean against her desk. “I’m glad you like them.” He cupped her cheek lightly. “You were so distant before I left, I was worried.”

“You have nothing to worry about, with me at least.” She kissed his cheek lightly. “I’m just worried that our friends really are dead somewhere. They haven’t come back, they haven’t sent anyone to collect their things.” She huffed slightly, looking back out of the window. “What if Dorian’s father is keeping him prisoner? Or Dagna is in the hands of some Carta thugs?” Cullen moved in front of her, hugging her to his chest. She breathed him in, relaxing slightly. Having him around was good, even if he wasn’t her first choice.

“Kaitlynn, I’m sure you’ll find them soon. You’ve been looking tirelessly.” He rested his forehead against hers. “I feel terrible, for being so happy while your worrying for your friends. It's selfish, but finding you, even after everything you’ve been through, I’ve never felt this way.”

The Inquisitor bit the inside of her cheek, that was the first time he’d ever used her name, or told her just how deeply he felt for her. She didn’t want to hurt him. “Oh Cullen.” She kissed him lightly, not sure what else she could do. They needed him, and if she broke his heart they wouldn’t be able to use the troops when they were sure it was time to take on Leliana.

 

\--line break—

 

Maddison sat silently, giving her father a very dirty look. Since she arrived with Bull he hadn’t stopped talking to the stranger. They talked as if they had known each other their whole lives. She kicked a rock on the ground. They hadn’t even gotten inside the house yet. Both men holding a cold can of beer while they chatted. As a car entered the driveway her eyes snapped to it, she hoped against hope that it was Kayci and the others. She let out a happy breath as she recognised the yellow Jazz. Her dad looked up from the back of the ute, where he leant with Bull. He made a noise similar to Cassandra. Maddison turned her eyes to him, frowning more. “Don’t you dare, and yes, our darker friend is gay, no you are not allowed to make comment.”

“Listen here little miss, some of my better mates are gay.” His voice was very smooth, but the way his words came out it was obvious he was being defensive.

“Yes, but you’re still a homophobic prick.” Maddison spat at him, before running over to the car to help Kayci with the wine. She blinked a few times as she spotted Dorian in the back seat, swaying slightly. He had a bottle of wine in one hand, a second empty bottle on the seat next to him. “I see you stopped in Clare.”

“Yes we did.” Dorian slurred, somehow managing to get himself out of the car. He leant on her heavily looking past her to the shed. He waved drunkenly. “You must be her father! Aren’t they wonderful?” He moved over to him, grinning. “We brought you the best wine I have ever tasted, I may have had some already.”

“I can see that.” He moved away slightly. “How about you head inside, I was chatting to your big friend here, and I don’t think you’d understand, no offence mate.”

“I understand perfectly!” Dorian stood up, the sway of his body stopping almost immediately. “I may be drunk, but I’m still ten times smarter than that brute.”

“Watch it, Vint.” Bull moved a little. “Remember I could still kick you from here to next week.” Maddison winced as her dad cracked up laughing. She put her hands up, giving Bull a pointed look. Bull sighed, backing up a little. “You should go inside and unwind a little from your trip, Barrel here has offered to take us out to a local farm for a bonfire and a barbeque dinner.”

“Well that sounds absolutely wonderful!” Dagna spoke, appearing behind Maddison soundlessly. Maddison jumped a little. “Oh, sorry!” She grinned.

“It's alright, Dagna, you just surprised me.” She smiled. “it is, I suppose you guys wouldn’t see it the same as we do, but its fun, like camping but you get to come home and shower afterwards.”

“You go camping for fun?!” Dorian practically shrieked. He threw his arms up in the air, looking absolutely shocked. “How could anything about camping be considered fun?”

“It's different here Dorian, we all live in houses, and it usually only takes half an hour to get to the next town, camping is recreational here.” Maddison smiled at him, placing a hand on his arm.

“How terrifying.” He practically spat, before looking at the house. “Your father’s house is nowhere near as big as your own.”

“That’s because a few years ago the two of us came into a lot of money, we thought it better to invest it in a few properties and then build our own house.” Kayci commented, carrying the wine towards the house.

 

Bull stayed with Maddison’s father, leaning on the vehicle again. “Quite a girl you’ve got there.” He commented, watching the others all go inside the house. He wanted to find out about Maddison, and since he couldn’t ask her without her freaking out, he thought it best to ask her father. He looked back at him. “Maddison didn’t tell me what to call you earlier.”

“Barrel.” Her dad commented, smiling at him again. Bull smiled at him. “Yeah, she’s a good kid, had a pretty shitty life, but it’ll pick up again sooner or later.” His voice was strange, it was so smooth, but because of his accent each word had a slight rasp. He had taken note that Kayci and Maddison had different accents, the different inflections they put on words, it was so interesting.

“What do you mean by ‘she’s had a pretty shitty life’?” Bull took another swig of his beer, watching the shorter man closely. He was plump, but it was obvious that in the past he had been quite muscular. His arms were proof of that, still tight with thick muscles.

“Guess you don’t know the full story.” Barrel turned to look up at the large gum tree in his yard. “When Maddie was thirteen her mother kicked me out, tore the family apart. Almost a year later, she went on a trip with her new boyfriend, from Adelaide to Sydney, the plane crashed, killing them both. Maddison wouldn’t come back to me, she went with her grandmother. Tough old bitch that one.” He smiled a little, looking back to Bull. When she was twenty she was in a happy relationship, the bloke moved with her and Kayci to the city, but a year ago he left her. I’m not at liberty to tell you why, I don’t know exactly how many people know. She was pretty broken up about it.” He finished his can of beer, stepping back from the ute. “In short, she’s had pretty bad luck with men, its only been the last year or so she’s been talking to me again. Only man she’s had a lot to do with is her brother.”

“She’s got a brother?” Bull smiled a little. He was beginning to form a better picture of her in his mind, finding out things to use to his advantage.

“Yeah, she’s a couple years older.” Barrel moved to walk towards the house. “Let's get going, mate. Gotta get the fire set before it gets too late, or we’ll never get it done.”

“Anything I can do?” Bull wanted to help, he was good at setting up camps. “I’ve got plenty of experience setting up a camp, just point me in the right direction.”

“Yeah, but we cant do anything until we get out there. Everything we need is packed in my ute. Just gotta pack up your mates and get going.” Barrel smiled over his shoulder. “You got a jacket you can wear? It gets pretty cold out there.”

 

Maddison sighed, focing an old jacket into Dorian’s arms. “You don’t want your nice clothes smelling like smoke, its fucking hard to get out of fabrics.”

“But this is so…unflattering.” Dorian pouted, holding the jacket like it was the most disgusting thing he’d ever seen.

“I think its an interesting concept, back home it doesn’t matter, since nothing is ever perfectly clean.” Dagna smiled, already snuggled into her oversized jacket. “How do you have these giant jackets? I swear one of these would almost fit The Iron Bull.”

“When I was younger I was a lot bigger, these are my old clothes.” Maddison admitted, looking embarrassed.

Dorian stared at her. “Fasta vass, that isn’t possible.”

“It is, not that I like to remember those times.” Maddison looked away, sighing heavily.

“Is this the house you grew up in, Maddison?” Dagna smiled, looking down the hallway. It was a single story, five bedroom house but growing up almost all of Maddison’s friends would get lost, it was like a maze.

“It is, the bedroom right at the end of the hallway is mine, the one on the far right is my dad’s, the only bedroom on the left of that hallway is my brother’s, the closest to the hallway is a spare room and the one we’re standing in is the one my cousin Bucky uses when he’s visiting.”

“But the nearest room in that hallway doesn’t have a bed, it has a chair.” Dagna pointed out.

Maddison smiled, looking in the right direction. “It was never a bedroom when we were growing up, it was always just the ‘X-box room’, a room where we played our console games and watched tv where our parents couldn’t tell us off for picking kids shows.”

“that sounds like your own personal sanctuary.” Dorian smiled at her. “I noticed the book shelf, is that yours too?”

“No, that was always mum and dad’s bookshelf, now its just full of dad’s crappy books. You can borrow some if you want.” She smiled at him, picking a jacket out for herself. “We better get going or dad will be angry that we weren’t there to help.”

“Bull went with him, it’ll be alright.” Kayci commented, looking uncomfortable in a jacket that had belonged to Maddison’s little brother. Maddison smiled, moving towards the door.

“come on, I’ll drive, Kayci doesn’t do bigger cars.”

“I have reasons for that, I like my little car.” Kayci argued, half pouting at her. Maddison rolled her eyes, leading them to the vehicle.

 

Bull looked up as the second vehicle finally approached the campsite. He and Barrel had just finished setting everything up, the fire roared to his right. There were no tents, but a simple cabin, though there were no beds inside. He figured it was only for protection from the weather and for food preparation. Setting up the camp had been comfortable, familiar. It made him relax. He waved as the other vehicle pulled up. Walking over, he opened the passengers’ door. “Hey, we just got it all set up.” He smiled as he helped Kayci out of the vehicle. “Can we talk?”

“I suppose.” The dwarf frowned at him, looking at Maddison and the others. “You guys go ahead.”

“Okay.” The word was drawn out, maddison looking very uncomfortable. Bull smiled at her slowly, before dragging the dwarf off to the right, towards a dry creek bed.

“What is this about?” The dwarf had her hands on her hips. Bull sighed, looking up at the darkening sky. It was so empty in this part of the country, familiar, almost like home.

“I need to know exactly what happened a year ago. Barrel told me that Maddison’s boyfriend left her, but he didn’t say why. Elz said she had a car, now she doesn’t. She had a complete breakdown just from me touching her face. Tell me what’s going on.” Bull looked at her sternly.

“I cant tell you everything. It's not my place to tell you some things.” The dwarf answered, just as sternly. She kicked a rock into the dirt, sighing. “But I’ll tell you what I can.” She moved a little way away from him, sitting on a large bolder. “Ok, a year ago, an incident occurred that caused her boyfriend to leave her. She didn’t take it well, hardly left her room. About three months later her grandmother convinced her to go visit her father and little brother. On her way here, she had a pretty bad accident.” The dwarf looked at the sky as she spoke, looking pained by the memory. “It was harvest season, so there were a lot of large trucks on the road, none of those drivers should be driving, they're a danger to everyone. Maddison took a corner too fast, with a truck coming the other way. The trucker didn’t realise he'd ran her off of the road, and it was dark. I knew she should have been home but she didn’t let me know she was safe, and her dad didn’t know she was coming. When she hadn’t called me after four hours, I went to find her. the car had been smashed into a tree, she’d been pinned there for three hours before I found her, there was so much blood. Both her legs were broken, and she had bumped her head. I had to flag down another truck to call an ambulance on their CV radio. It took her six months to recover. It's only been the last three months she’s been able to go out in public without completely breaking down, the other day at the shopping centre was the longest she’s gone out in the day time, without having to go to work. Having you touch her, I think I brought up the memories of her ex, that’s why she freaked out.” She looked over at him, eyes serious. “You better not hurt her, ever.” Her voice was stern, angry. “Or I will kill you.”

Bull stared at her, the new information was a lot to take in. Maddison was lucky to still be alive. He moved, looking over at her by the fire. She looked so nice in the glow of the fire. He smiled awkwardly, looking back at the dwarf. “I don’t plan on hurting her. It's different with her.”

 

Maddison looked over at Bull and Kayci in the creek. She felt jealousy tugging at her chest again. Why did it upset her so much that Bull would rather talk to Kayci? She knew it was because she had lost it at him, but still. She sighed, turning back to Dagna and her father. They were talking about cars and mechanics. She sighed heavier. “Dorian, do you have any ideas on how to get you guys home?”

Dorian looked up at her, sipping at his wine again. “I don’t know, first we have to be able to contact everyone back home, then we have to try to open that portal again.” He smiled. “I don’t think I want to go back yet, I need to learn more about this world, there isn’t much left over there for me to learn.”

“But don’t you miss your friends?” Maddison looked over at Kayci, if she ever left without a reason there would be nothing on this Earth that would keep Maddison from chasing after her.

“I do miss them, but I have Dagna and dare I say it, I have Bull here.” He moved, patting her shoulder gently. “And you and Kayci are very nice, I rather like having you around.”

Maddison blushed. “Really?” she smiled, happy that Dorian saw her as a friend.

“Really. As weird as this world is, it's comfortable with the two of you here looking out for us.” He sat back in his chair, looking at the stars. “We couldn’t really see the stars where you live, I don’t know how you can stand it.”

“I do miss the stars, at home you can see them every now and then, but the light pollution from the city blocks most of them out.” Maddison leant back, looking up at the sky. “I grew up here, looking up at the stars, dreaming of getting away from the dull life of the country.”

“You prefer the city?” Dorian took another sip of his wine.

“I preferred having people around that I could talk to, up until a year ago I loved going out and hanging out with friends, no matter how busy the area was.” She sighed. “lately I cant stand big groups, I’d rather sit at home in the dark and play my games. I really should go to a councillor or something.”

“I don’t know what that is, but I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Dorian finished his glass, looking at her. “Do we have anything to eat?”

“Oh right, I’ll get it started.” Maddison smiled, standing up. “I’m gonna start the barbeque Dad, that ok?”

Her dad looked up at her, smiling. “That’s fine, Dolly. I’m gonna keep explaining how to put a car together with your friend here.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There has been a small time skip since the last chapter as I found it easier to write that way.
> 
> we get a little more insight into what's happening in Thedus and the development of all our favorite characters.

**==Chapter 7==**

The Inquisitor sat silently with Krem, watching the sun set over the Hinterlands. “What do you think? I should tell him the plan right? He’s already head over heels.” She looked at him slowly.

“I think so, there’s no hope of finding them now, we might as well make a move.” He looked solemnly at the sky. The scar left from the breach glistened slightly. It had been nearly three months since their friends disappeared, leaving so many questions. Krem rested his hand on top of the Inquisitor’s, looking into her eyes. “Tell him our plans, but not at Skyhold, we need to plan more. Give me two more weeks, with Cullen’s advice and assistance, we’ll be ready by then.”

The Inquisitor nodded, avoiding his eyes. She had no feeling left inside her, she thought back to when she had been happy, with Bull and the others. There was a dull throb of sadness, but nothing more. She moved away from him. “Cullen is going to meet me at Redcliffe today, I’ll talk to him there.” She smiled sadly. “Harding is on our side too, I met with her recently, she’s our inside man so to speak.”

“Fair enough.” Krem nodded, turning to look away from her. “I’ll get back to the others, let me know as soon as Cullen has been informed.” He moved, walking away from her.

The rest of her trip was slow. She didn’t want to rush and meet with her now fiancé. She knew that it seemed like they were moving fast, but Cullen seemed to like it that way, because it protected him from the marriage proposals from other nobles and interested parties. She looked at the sky again, sighing. Things had been so much simpler when they had a common goal and the world needed them. She felt as if the world didn’t need her anymore, and her hand was beginning to hurt again, like it had when she first gained the anchor. As she reached the gates, she spotted him. He was sitting on his stallion, waiting for her in his casual armour. She noted the way the last of the sun’s light hit his perfectly blonde hair, the way his lips pursed as bugs passed close to his face. she felt his eyes on her before she could fully focus on him. She forced a happy smile to her lips.

“Cullen.” She waved. He grinned at her, waving back.

“I was worried you had gotten in trouble.” He jumped off of his stallion, walking closer to her. “How was he?”

“He was good, we need to talk.” She cupped his cheek lightly, letting out a breath as he leant into it. His stubble prickled her hand, sending a sensation she hadn’t felt in months through her body. Her whole body trembled, craving something she hadn’t felt in such a long time. Cullen hadn’t been the sort to jump straight into bed, they had cuddled and kissed, but nothing more. He moved, opening his mouth to speak. She stopped him, kissing him hard.

He blinked at her a few times, before smiling awkwardly, a hand moving up to rub the back of his neck. “What was that for?” She licked her lips, looking at him slowly.

“We need to go to the Gull and Lantern, now.” She took his hand, walking quickly through the town. There was no time for pleasantries, no stopping to speak to the locals. She needed him in a raw animalistic way, like she had been with Bull. Maybe something inside of her would reawaken with the simple act of sex.

 

Cullen blinked, barely having time to tie his horse in front of the tavern. She was being much more forceful than she had ever been with him. He swallowed, the image of a young mage practically throwing herself at him filling his mind. He shook it off, concentrating on not falling down the stairs. He wondered what happened with Krem to make her this way. Was there something going on between his fiancé and the new leader of The Chargers? He shook his head, there couldn’t be Krem may be passing as a man, but he didn’t have the right equipment to please a woman like the Inquisitor. As they entered one of the rentable rooms upstairs, he gasped. She pushed him to the wall, kissing him hard again. She tasted of a fine wine, his hands curled into fists, before forcing her back from him, only long enough to tear her armour from her body. He dropped it to the floor, lifting her, he pushed her to the opposite wall. She let out a loud moan, the look in her eyes absolutely wild.

She tugged at his armour, managing to loosen it enough for it to drop to the floor. The cool air bit at his skin, he used his hips to pin her to the wall while he removed his undershirt. A hot shiver overtook him as she ran her fingers over his bare skin. He was losing control. He pushed her down onto the bed, looking deep into her eyes. “I love you, Kaitlynn.” He kissed her again.

 

The Inquisitor smiled softly, tracing lines on his chest as he slept. She was surprised, Cullen being as tightly wound as he was, she didn’t think he’d be any good in bed. He at least had some experience, even if he didn’t last all that long. She rested her head against his arm, taking a deep breath. He had been resting for long enough, she needed him to wake up. She poked his ribs lightly. “Cullen, we still need to talk.” He grumbled at her, before moving to look at her.

“About what?” his voice was still thick with sleep. She cupped his cheek.

“About our plans.” She answered plainly.

“We’ll get married and have children, that’s the plan.” He answered, closing his eyes again.

“No, the plans Krem and I have made. I need your support, can you do that for me?” she kissed his cheek, lightly, very close to his lips. “I need to know I have your full support when we go after Leliana in two weeks.”

“For you Kaitlynn, anything.” he mumbled, falling asleep again.

 

\--line break—

 

Maddison looked at the time, sighing. Kayci had gone into the city to see her supplier and had taken Bull. They were due home soon, but she was bored. Dorian was busy reading in his room, and Dagna was putting a machine back together on the back lawn. Moving slowly, Maddison left her room. She knocked lightly on Dorian’s door. “Dorian, are you busy?” There was no reply. She huffed, pushing the door open. He wasn’t in his room. Crossing her arms under her breasts, she looked around the room, trying to think. There was an excited noise coming from one of the walls. That was when it hit her, she remembered why they let Dorian stay in that room. She moved to the bookshelf, reaching up and pressing a button under the lip of one of the shelves. The bookshelf moved, revealing another room, filled completely with books. He was sitting at the desk, reading intensely. “I see you found the secret library.”

“Some of these are absolutely scandalous.” Dorian looked up, grinning at her. “Are these all works of fiction?”

“the ones of the right are, the ones on the left are non-fiction.” She sat on the desk, smiling at him. “This room was Kayci’s idea, when we had other plans for your bedroom.” Her smile fell slightly.

“We don’t have to talk about that.” He smiled at her. “We may have only been here for nine days, but I feel like we know each other well enough to know when to not bring something up.” He smiled, patting her shoulder. “I had a little luck earlier, I managed to get a flame for half a second.”

“That’s amazing!” Maddison grinned at him. She was glad he didn’t push her for information. “That’s the first time your magic has worked in this world right?”

“That’s right, the longer I’m here the more I’m getting used to it. I’ll try again a little later once I finish a few more books. Kayci said she doesn’t mind if I stay back tonight and read.” He smiled. “She said it shouldn’t be too busy, a few new people on the list through business connections, but a regular Sunday otherwise.”

“I see, I’m still gonna go with her, I think I need to get out of the house.” Maddison sighed heavily.

“Still having trouble with the big guy?” Dorian closed his book, looking at her. Maddison nodded slowly.

“I want to be nice, and I want to like him, but I get these images of my ex in my head and I just can't. I haven’t been absolutely alone with him since that day on the porch before we went to my dad’s.” She sighed, leaning on him slowly. Dorian smiled, hugging her gently.

“Well, you can hug me, why is that different?”

“Sweety, you’re gay, there is no way you’d wiggle your way into my heart then shit on me.” She smiled at him awkwardly. “Besides, you’re not exactly my type.”

“I should be offended.” Dorian joked, giving her another squeeze. “Why don’t you go get ready, I’m going to go and get something to drink. I should still have some of that wine left.”

 

Bull fidgeted with his seatbelt, grumbling. He was so pent up, he hadn’t been in control for so long, and he hadn’t been able to relieve himself properly since they arrived. He looked at the dwarf, grumbling more. “I can work tonight right? There’ll be someone I can beat up?”

“I expect so, new people always seem to make trouble.” She answered him, pulling into the garage. She looked over at him. “Go get changed, I’ll go check if Maddie’s ready.” She instructed, climbing out of her car. They had already dropped off the supplies to her store, ensuring The Playroom was fully stocked for the night. He climbed out, walking slowly towards the house. He didn’t see Dagna until he tripped over her. He landed heavily on the grass, swearing loudly.

“Oh Bull, I’m so sorry.” Dagna moved out of his range, tugging the machine he had tripped over with her.

“Why the hell do you have that in the middle of the lawn!” He snapped at her. He frowned as he looked at it. “What are you even trying to make?”

“A way for us to contact home.” She admitted, looking a little embarrassed. She moved, crossing her legs. “If I can contact them, let them know we’re ok, they might not freak out too much. It's only been ten days.” She licked her lip awkwardly, looking back at him. “Unless you don’t want to go back.”

“I don’t know what I want.” He admitted, standing up. “I’ve gotta go get ready, are you coming with us tonight?”

“No, I’m going to stay here and try to get this machine working.” Dagna smiled at him. “Good luck tonight, Kayci might even let you pick out someone to play with.” She giggled at her own joke, before looking at the sky. “Maybe she’ll finally let me take some samples.”

Bull stood up, walking inside. “You're not taking samples of me.” He closed the door, shuddering slightly. As he did, Sera bounded over, jumping up against him. He smiled, she had gotten so much bigger since he arrived, it surprised him just how quickly an animal can grow. He scratched her ears, smiling. “Hey girl, how’s your boss today?” He looked around. Maddison had been avoiding him, never alone in the same area. They had a few awkward encounters at her father’s house, which hadn’t helped the situation. He wanted to know she was alright, but he knew she didn’t want anything to do with him right now. Sighing, he started up the stairs. As he reached his bedroom door he noticed it was ajar. He frowned, had someone entered the room while he had been out. Pushing it open, he blinked. There was a shirt and pair of slacks on his bed, neatly pressed. He smiled a little. “Pat.” He moved inside, looking over them. The slacks were a simple black, the shirt a medium sleeved burgundy with a white trim on the collar and down the buttons.

Once dressed he moved towards the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror. He was getting used to his human body, though it still looked strange. He looked at his now much longer facial hair, smiling. It was nowhere near as long as Blackwall’s had been, but he liked it, it was neat. He nodded to himself, he was ready.

 

Maddison stood with Kayci, helping tighten her corset. “Did you hear him yelling at poor Dagna, I’m sorry but he’s kinda a cranky bastard.”

“He’s just frustrated, this is probably the longest he’s gone without some form of control, and sex.” Kayci stated, letting out a breath as her corset finally reached the right tightness. Maddison smiled softly, smoothing her own skirt out. Kayci smiled at her. “Besides, he’s working for me tonight, it’s a good fit.” She paused, looking at herself in the mirror. “I’ve been meaning to hire a second bouncer since The Playroom got so popular.”

“Well at least he’ll have a job if we can't get them back to their world.” Maddison smiled again, moving over to check herself in Kayci’s full body mirror. “Do I look ok? This isn’t too over the top for a Sunday?” she was wearing a black and red single breasted ruffle dress with three quarter length sleeves. The skirt reached her knees, stockings hiding her legs from full view. She wore a pair of chunky enclosed ballerina wedges, making her around four inches taller than she usually stood.

“That’s fine, hun. Just remember, there are some new people coming tonight, so stay relaxed and if you need a bit of a break, you can retreat to the store.” Kayci patted her shoulder, before moving out the door. Maddison smiled, applying another layer of lip gloss, before following after her.

As they made their way to the front door Bull appeared at the bottom of the stairs. She glanced at him, her heart speeding up a little. Since he had arrived he had changed slightly, he looked more comfortable, more like himself. He started using deodorant and keeping himself neat and clean. He still had a very specific musk to his scent, but he also smelled like the most delicious man she had ever known. She felt her cheeks heating up as she watched him walk past, and out the back door. She looked back up the stairs. “See you later Dorian, Dagna, we left some dinner in the fridge for you!” She called, before following after Bull quickly. Her eyes almost instantly on his rear. It looked good in those pants, so good she could almost feel herself squeezing it. She let a heavy breath out of her nose, before mentally abusing herself. “You look nice in those clothes Bull, very dapper.” He looked back over his shoulder at her, one eyebrow raised. She blushed. “What, it’s a real word.”

“Yeah, a real word your grandma’s mum would have used Maddie.” Kayci called from the garage door. Maddison felt her face flare up more.

 

Kayci sighed, she could have cut the sexual tension between her two passengers with knife. She knew that neither of them would make a move, Maddison was still so hurt from her last relationship, and Bull didn’t want to upset Maddison by advancing on her again. She sighed louder, turning the music up in her car. She could tell that Bull still wasn’t handling being in the wrong body and not fully in control of the situation. She looked at him sympathetically as they parked in her space. Kyle and Elz were already there, having arrived when she was restocking. She looked at Maddison. “Jessie said she’ll work all the way through til two today.”

“Oh really?” Maddison’s eyes lit up. Kayci smiled, she knew that Maddie always liked being in the club, watching the dancers, feeling like she was still normal and in control of her life. She and Bull had that in common, they hated feeling out of control. Kayci nodded, climbing out of the car. “Aww Kace, that’s awesome.” Maddison climbed out, grinning at her. She really had gotten better since their guests had arrived, she was slowly starting to act more like her old self.

“Just get inside and stay out of trouble.” Kayci rolled her eyes, heading towards the door, a few paces behind Bull. He hadn’t said anything since they got in the car, he looked like he was on a serious mission. Maddison practically skipped along behind her, looking pleased. Kayci waved as she spotted Kyle and Elz. Maddison ran ahead now, diving on Kyle.

“Hey Grumpy, gonna beat anyone up tonight?” She grinned, hanging off of his neck awkwardly. Kyle sighed, looking at Bull. Kayci smirked as Bull visibly twitched.

“Get off.” Kyle spoke slowly, looking back at Kayci. “We’re all set up, and the girls are here to run the bar.” He moved, pushing Maddison off of him. Maddison skipped into the club, heading straight to the bar.

“Sorry about her, she’s in a good mood.”

“I noticed.” Kyle smiled at her ever so slightly. She nodded at him.

 

Maddison sat on the bar, grinning. Elz had let her help with the music for the night, so she actually liked the sounds reaching her ears. Almost everyone had arrived, a few special guests and a few new ones. She didn’t recognise anyone so far, but it was pretty busy for a Sunday. Bull stood just inside the door, watching for any issues, he and Kyle would swap every hour and a half so that Kyle could watch the inside with fresh eyes. She waved at him slowly, before looking back to the crowd. Blinking, her eyes focused on a girl that had been in her class at school, she felt the blood drain from her face. Why? Why had that monster been allowed into The Playroom? She huffed, jumping down from the bar.

The girl made her way through the crowd, still looking down her nose at people. Maddison could feel her eyes on her, burning into her soul. As she caught sight of Maddison, she smiled, her teeth still pointed. Cheekbones prominent against her hollow cheeks, nose still a pointed hook. All she was missing was the green skin and she would have looked like a wicked witch from children’s stories. She flicked her hair, looking at Maddison disapprovingly. “Maddison Parker, what on earth is your tacky arse doing here?” Her voice held a sneer, very high and mighty.

Maddison winced back, before squaring her shoulders. She wouldn’t let the girl who bullied her all through school belittle her in a store she helped pay for. “Tammy O’Mainnin, it's soo nice to see you.” Her voice felt so small, the lie hurting as it escaped her lips. Her words were laced with sarcasm, trying to bide her time while trying to collect her thoughts. “I’m partial owner of this establishment.”  Maddison’s voice nearly failed her, but she managed to get the sentence out. “What are you doing here?”

“Me and my plus one were invited by the real owner.” Tammy spat at her. Maddison took her in properly, she was still slim, barely a chest to speak of, but there was something different. She had a very obvious baby bump.

Maddison took a shaky breath. “Really? Kayci Jones invited you to her club?” She couldn’t believe that Kayci would invite the devil incarnate to her club.

“Well, technically I’m here because Kayci invited my boss.” Tammy admitted, a hand gently resting on her stomach. “But still, there is no way someone like you would ever be invited to this club, you have still amounted to nothing.” Tammy laughed, half covering her mouth with one hand. “But I see you got your eye fixed. Oh it is ni-ice to see you with two, doesn’t change that you’re a weird freak.”

“Says the slut in the BDSM club.” Maddison spat, her hand twitching. She wanted to slap her, she wanted to take her frustrations out on the girl who had made her childhood a living hell.

“Oh I’m no slut, I’m in a committed relationship, have been for nearly a whole year. What have you got?” Tammy smirked. Maddison felt tears welling in her eyes.

“Don’t you dare!” she screamed just as the song stopped on the sound system. Everyone within earshot turned to them, some backing away slightly to form a circle around them. Out of the crowd, a very familiar face appeared, though he wrapped an arm around Tammy’s waist. There he stood, six foot three inches of an ex-boyfriend. His face hadn’t changed, he still had that five o’clock shadow that made Maddison’s heart pound. His hair was just a little longer than when he had been with her, still the chocolatey brown it had always been. His deep green eyes stared at her, she could see the colour even through the strange lighting of the club. A sneer formed on his face. Maddison felt her blood freeze. “How the hell did you get in here, Josh?!”

“I came with my girlfriend.” His voice was still so smooth, the slightest British accent hidden underneath it. She swallowed, staring at them.

“YOUR WHAT!?” She shook, she knew she was screaming. “You're seriously with that… that bitch?! After all the stories I told you! All the times you held me and told me she was a slut and not worth my tears!” Tears rolled down her cheeks slowly feeling as if they were acid burning her skin. “How the hell could you do this?!”

“I was doing it before I even left you.” He smirked at her, bending closer, so he was looking directly into her eyes. Maddison screamed, her body moving before she could stop it, slapping him hard.

 

Bull heard her screamed words before anyone else had reacted. He moved swiftly through the crowd, following the sound of Maddison’s voice. There were two strangers standing in front of her, one a man, the other a pregnant woman. He frowned, what was going on? He blinked a few times as he saw her slap the man, before an evil grin split his face. “At least she can carry my child to term.” The man’s voice held so much anger. Maddison went white, backing away from him, before turning and running through the crowd. “Yeah that’s right, run away, just like last time!” The man called after her. “You pathetic waist of a woman!”

Before he could think Bull was in the centre of the circle, a closed fist colliding with the pompous bastard’s face. He punched him again. “Maraas imekari!” he knocked the smaller male to the floor.

“How dare you speak to a woman that way!” He growled, pinning him. The pregnant woman screamed, backing away from the two fighting men.

Bull couldn’t stop, he couldn’t bring himself to stop. He needed this, it was familiar, he was defending her honour, defending her from anymore hurt.

“Katara!” Each punch felt better than the last, each movement made his body scream in pleasure. This is exactly what he had been hoping for, a fight, even if the bastard couldn’t fight back.

As he beat the man the dwarf’s voice found his ears. “Kyle! Get in there and pull those two apart! Elz, damage control! I’m going to get Maddie!” Before he could react, Kyle had him in a headlock. The large man was stronger than Bull had given him credit for.

Bull couldn’t move, he just glared at the bloody face of the bastard as he pulled himself off of the floor. “Basra vashedan!” He spat at him, still seeing red.

Elz stepped into the empty circle. “Nothing to see here guys, just our security doing their job.” His voice was still so smooth, no fear at all. “Everyone move away, a round of drinks on the house, let’s keep this party going!” He pointed to a couple of his dancers, mouthing words that Bull couldn’t hear. His ears were ringing, his vision still red with anger. How dare they stop him? He had every right to beat up the trouble maker.

 

By the time Kayci caught up with Maddison, she was nearly a block away from the store. Tears still streaming down her face, she shook as she walked, slowing enough for Kayci to take her hand. “He was cheating on me… because I lost our baby.”

“That isn’t your fault Maddie.” Kayci pulled her into a tight hug. “It's not your fault sweetheart, he’s the jerk, he cheated on you when you were most venerable.” Maddison sniffled, clinging to her. She had been in such a good mood, things were starting to look up.

“Why? It was entirely my fault we lost the baby.” Her tears got heavier. “He didn’t even want it when I told him.” Her voice broke as she spoke. “He left, I was broken inside and he just… left.”

“Honey, no. It wasn’t your fault.” Maddison sniffled again, moving to look down at her friend.

“I want to go home. I want to go to my room and never come out again!”

“No, sweety no, we finally had you going out again. I’m so proud of how you’ve grown, don’t let this little setback ruin it for you.” Kayci cupped her face, forcing her to look directly at her. “Bull could have killed him you know, he was on him before that arse could even react.” She smiled softly. Letting her go, holding her hand as she began to lead her back towards The Playroom. “He did it to protect your honour, that’s the kind of man you want in your life. Don’t you dare go stressing about Josh, think ahead.”

“I just want to go home.” Maddison hadn’t heard anything she said, she just wanted to go home and curl up in her bed. She wanted to cry, scream, hate herself all over again. Josh had been right, what sort of woman couldn’t even carry a child, that was why women had developed the way they had over the years. It was all her fault, and there was nothing anyone could say that would change that. “I want to go home.” She didn’t notice that they were walking, almost back at The Playroom now.

“I’ll take you home soon, just stay with me for now ok? I don’t want to leave you at home alone again.” Kayci tugged her into the store so she wouldn’t have to deal with a crowd of people. Maddison looked at her, feeling dead inside.

“I want to go home.”

 

Bull struggled. How dare they chain him up, he wasn’t some kind of animal. He fought against the leather and chain binds, looking up as the curtains parted. He couldn’t focus, his vision blurred with rage. He had no idea who had just entered the room. He knew they were in the party room, but who was coming in. He practically growled at the two figures in front of him. His body ached in a way that he recognised, were these figures here to torture him. “Parshaara!” He instantly stopped struggling. That voice, the dwarf knew his language. He shook his head, his vision finally coming back to him.

He glanced around the room, they were in the party room. He was chained up in the centre of the room, where the table should be. He blinked a few more times, looking around the room again. Maddison was curled up in a ball on the couch against the wall, she looked so small. Her body shook every now and then. Was she still crying? Had he scared her? Guilt rose up from his stomach, filling him completely. The dwarf stood over him, hands on her hips. He took a breath, opening his mouth to speak. She put a hand up, looking very angry. “don’t.” She turned, looking at Maddison. Slowly, she knelt next to the couch, placing a gentle hand on the redhead’s back. “I’m going to go back to work, will you be ok waiting here?”

“I want to go home.” Maddison’s voice was so soft, like a child’s. Had he caused her pain when he lost control? Why was she facing away from him? He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he couldn’t.

“soon.” The dwarf gently placed a jacket over her friend. “I’ll be back in a moment.” She turned, giving him a look that made his blood run cold. She was angry.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for my absence, I have been waiting on my new glasses to arrive, I can't type without them as I cannot see without them.
> 
> A sneaky trip to Kirkwall and a surprise visit from an old friend? Poor Bull isn't handling his new more human emotions well at all, but when he hears a familiar voice during his shower, he nearly loses all control again.

**==Chapter 8==**

 

Krem nodded, moving away from the Commander. “Alright Cullen, but I think you should go with her, that gives you an alibi too.” He sighed. They had decided that letting the Inquisitor stay close by when Leliana was taken was too dangerous. She would be leaving for Kirkwall to visit Varric in two days. He didn’t want Cullen getting in his way, or getting himself in trouble. It would be easier if he took the spy network out with The Chargers and a small group of inquisition soldiers.

Cullen huffed, crossing his arms. “I’m not sure, I would prefer to be here.”

“You need a vacation, Commander.” Krem argued. He smiled. “Everyone needs some downtime every now and then, besides, you and your future wife should spend some time away from all these issues.”

“You think Kirkwall won't have issues?” Cullen looked amused, his lips twitching into a smile.

“I didn’t mean that, I simply mean that you need to get out of here, because if I fail I don’t want you or the Inquisitor to be implicated.”

“Alright, I’ll go with her.” Cullen looked over his shoulder, smiling at the door.

“Good.” Krem sighed, looking at the door with him. “Go and tell her.”

 

The Inquisitor smiled as she looked out over the sea. She had managed to climb up onto a rocky cliff where none of the villagers would bother her. She looked back at Redcliffe, before moving to look at her hand. It had been bothering her more and more recently, she had hoped it was nothing, but the more she thought about it, the more she worried. What would she do if she couldn’t control her mark anymore? She could be a danger to the others. As if she didn’t have enough issues on her plate. Within a moment, her hand was on her weapon, the sound of someone approaching her position causing her to act without thinking. She turned towards the sound, only to sigh. Cullen had found her.

It had only been a day since they had been together, but he had gotten much clingier. She regretted the lapse in judgement more than anything. “Cullen.”

He smiled down at her. “You’ve been climbing the cliffs again?” He sat on the edge, looking out over the water. “Krem has just left.”

“He didn’t want to say goodbye?” She didn’t know why, but the idea that Krem had left without so much as a goodbye hurt her deeply.

“He wanted to get going to let the others know his plans. Our plans.” Cullen picked a flower from next to him, twirling it in his fingers. “I’m going with you to Kirkwall. We decided it would be best.” There was something in his voice that told her he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea, but he was going along with it.

“You don’t sound too happy about our vacation plans. We get to see Varric and Hawke again.” She smiled, beginning to climb back up the cliffs.

“I would much rather be here to assist Krem and the others. I wasn’t…” He sighed. “I was a very different man when I lived there, I doubt I have any friends left in Kirkwall.”

“Varric and Hawke are our friends Cullen, I think it will be nice for the two of us to go, gives us some time alone together.” She felt a knot form in her stomach as she spoke, would he get suspicious if she had Hawke or Varric with them at all times? Maybe they could stay with Hawke or Varric instead of in some tavern. She cupped his cheek as she reached the top of the cliff, kneeling with one leg on either side of his lap. “Try and be happy about it.”

“As you wish.” Cullen smiled, leaning forward to kiss her. She didn’t move, allowing him to make the contact and control the kiss. That was what she missed about Bull most, with Cullen she needed to control their actions, with Bull she had been able to let herself go and be controlled completely.

 

The trip to Kirkwall was horrible. Stormy and long, it took nearly a month to arrive. They had stopped in with Cullen’s family so that she could meet them and he could spend some time with them, it also gave them another alibi for the coming events. The Inquisitor huffed, looking at the large nets that signalled they had finally made it. If they had gone to the storm coast instead of Redcliffe they would have arrived a week sooner. As it was, it had been almost a month since she left Redcliffe, alone with Cullen on a ship, there hadn’t been much else to do than be alone together. She was starting to feel like she would never get his voice out of her head, and it wasn’t a pleasant feeling. As they finally left the ship she ran ahead, she had been to Kirkwall before, she knew exactly where to go and who to look out for. They were to be in the city-state for a month before returning to Skyhold. She needed to send word to Leliana that they had arrived, the attack would come in a week. As she skidded around a corner she spotted them, both of her trusted friends waiting at the gate. “Varric! Hawke!” She practically dove into the dwarf’s arms, grinning. “I’ve missed you so much!”

“Woah.” Varric chuckled, putting her back on the ground. “Steady there, Inquisitor, people will get ideas.” He teased, looking up at Hawke. “I told you they’d get in today.”

“Yes yes, your very clever Varric.” Hawke rolled his eyes, turning to smile at the Inquisitor. “Did you bring your Commander?”

“He came, begrudgingly.” She commented, pointing over her shoulder as Cullen finally came into view. “Said something about not having any friends to return to in Kirkwall.”

“I see.” Varric waved at Cullen. “Come on Curly, we aren’t going to wait all day!” he grinned up at her. “I got you your own estate to use while you’re here.” He winked.

“Oh Varric, you really didn’t have to.” The Inquisitor looked at Hawke. “Can't we just stay with you? So we’re not… alone… again.”

“Trouble in paradise?” Hawke chuckled, slipping his arm around her shoulders. “You can stay with me anytime.”

As Cullen reached the group, the conversation had taken a different turn. The Inquisitor smiled at him. “We’re going to stay with Hawke in his estate. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” He smiled. “As long as we can bathe soon.”

“As soon as you like.” Hawke grinned, turning to lead the way to his estate.

 

\--line break—

 

Maddison hadn’t left her room in four days, since her unfortunate meeting with her ex. Kayci sighed, knocking on the door. “Come on, Hun, it’s time for lunch, you really should come down with everyone else.” It hurt to see her friend so broken again, after all the hard work they had put in to make her feel better after the whole incident. She pushed the door open, frowning at the mess. “Maddie, please.” She spotted her, curled up under the blankets on her bed. Walking closer, she pulled the blanket back. “Get up!”

“No.” Maddison looked up at her, frowning. “I don’t have to, there is no point.”

“There are plenty of reasons for you to get up. Dagna is really worried, Dorian keeps reading books about mental health, and Bull… he really wants to apologise.” Kayci rested her hands on her hips. She had had enough of her friend being like this, if there was ever a better time for her to get up it was now. She needed to snap out of it. “It wasn’t your fault that all these issues happened, it wasn’t your fault that the baby didn’t make it, it wasn’t your fault that he left, he was a jerk. You deserve better.” Kayci sighed, cupping her friend’s face lightly. “You don’t even need to get dressed or brush your hair, just come downstairs.”

Maddison’s lip quivered, before she nodded. “Alright.” She sat up slowly, fixing her pyjamas as she did so. “But only cause you’re really scary when you yell.”

“Damn right I am!” Kayci chuckled, holding a hand out. “Come on.” She took Maddison’s hand slowly, tugging her up off of the bed.

 

Bull looked from the dining room to the stairs and back to his plate again. The dwarf had been trying to get Maddison to join them for days. The way she had spoken about the situation, he understood finally. Maddison’s heart had been broken, shattered into little pieces, no wonder his people didn’t let emotions like that rule them, it was so messy. He looked at Dorian and Dagna, who were both reading at the table. “Do you think she’ll come down this time?”

“And risk seeing you? I doubt it.” Dorian answered, not looking up from his book. Bull felt his left eye twitch.

“Listen here, I didn’t do anything to hurt her.” Bull sighed, he was starting to think that maybe he had hurt her. What if one of his advances had broken down that little shield he had seen her building up? The entire time they had been stuck in this world he had noticed her attitude changing. When they first arrived she had brought a man home with her, since then nothing. What if them being here was hurting her more than her ex ever had? “Well… I don’t think I did.”

“You didn’t, Bull. She’s just dealing with her emotions.” Dagna said with a smile. She moved, placing a gentle hand on his forearm. “Kayci said that she’ll get her down here soon, I trust her.”

“If you say so.” Bull sighed, looking back to his food.

“You’re doing great.” The Dwarf’s voice filled his ears. His eyes shot to the stairs, spotting her helping Maddison down. His heart swelled, a knot forming in his stomach, he frowned. He hated having these human emotions, but at the same time he couldn’t help but feel happy. “Your grandma taught Bull how to make your favourite.”

“Bull cooked?” Maddison’s voice was so soft. Like she was still trying to hide from everyone in the group. He stood up, wanting to go over and help her. Kayci shot him a look before he could move from his seat, making him sit back down. “Is it edible?”

“Of course it is, you remember the banter with Krem, Bull is a very good cook.” The Dwarf urged, moving to help her into the dining room. She smiled at the group. “Look who came to join us.”

“Hi Maddison,” Dagna smiled, moving over a little to give her more room at the table. “Are you feeling better?”

“Not really.” Maddison didn’t look up from the table, her skin pale against her messy red hair. “I don’t really feel like being around people, but I don’t really have a choice.”

“That’s not true, you could have stayed in your room and ignored your friends’ worries.” Dorian stated, placing his book down. “You really shouldn’t blame yourself, Kayci informed us on your situation, none of that is your fault.” He smiled, moving in his seat sightly. “Besides, Bull beat that man half to death.”

 

Maddison looked up at them, blinking slowly. “He did?” She had no idea that Bull had come to her rescue. She thought that it had been Kyle breaking up the argument. She turned her eyes to Bull slowly. He looked so uncomfortable. She tilted her head at him slowly. “Do you need someone to go hit you with a stick? You look uncomfortable.”

“I tried that already, this is because I have these stupid human feelings.” He muttered, looking away from her. “You should try the food, your grandma really did do most of the work.”

“Thank you.” She mumbled slowly, looking away from him again. Why had he jumped to defend her? Why did he look so very uncomfortable to be in the same room as her? Was it because he had heard what her ex said? Of course, what use was a woman who couldn’t bear children, a Qunari would have practically no use for them. She pushed the food around on her plate slowly, feeling worse now.

“So, I had a breakthrough with my machine this morning.” Dagna spoke, breaking the awkward silence. She smiled, looking at Maddison closely. “I managed to see Skyhold for a whole minute.” She looked back at her food, her face filled with longing. “I miss it.”

“I’m glad you got your machine to work, I’m sure you’ll be able to make contact soon.” Maddison spoke slowly, trying to take her mind away from her own problems. “Being homesick can suck.”

“I got my magic to work for longer today as well, you have no idea how strange it is to not be able to light whatever I want on fire.” Dorian commented, smiling at her. “It's much easier than your lighters.”

“I’m sure it is.” She smiled at him, feeling a little better now. “I hope that you can connect with it again properly soon, it must be hard, such a big change.”

“It is, I’ve been using my magic since I was five, I feel like I’ve been cut off from myself.” He moved a little. “Even if it causes a lot of trouble.”

Maddison smiled at her friends slowly. Her fears and worries were slowly subsiding, she was starting to feel normal, and she’d only been with them for twenty minutes. She looked to Bull, biting her lip slowly. He looked up at her, and smiled weakly. There were so many emotions in his face it made her head spin, what was he feeling? How had he managed not to completely lose control?

Once lunch was finished, Maddison left the table, heading back towards the stairs. Bull and Kayci had left before the others had finished. She assumed Kayci was going to her room to organise things for the evening, and Bull was going to his room. As she started up the stairs she spotted them together at the entrance to Kayci’s bedroom, before the two of them disappeared into the room. Her heart sank.

 

Kayci sighed, leading Bull into the room off of her bedroom. She looked at him as they entered. “You know the rules, when I say ‘parshaara’ you stop.”

“You picked a word I know.” He crossed his arms, looking at her equipment. She knew he needed to be in control of at least one aspect of his current life, she wanted to help him. she nodded, moving to sit on the bed. The walls were lined much like her store, only all of this was her personal collection, things she used with Elz and Kyle during their time together. “Thank you.” He pushed her backwards, eyes traveling over her form. She didn’t fight back, just allowed him to move her body however he wanted. She smirked to herself, when Maddison described acts like this she would have called it ‘star fishing’ when a person just stays completely still during sex and allows their partner to do whatever they wanted.

Without another word he pulled her clothes from her body, he never ripped her clothes, she appreciated that. Once she was completely naked he flipped her onto her stomach, tying her wrists together before cuffing them to the headboard. He lifted her hips slowly, rubbing small circles with his thumbs. His rough fingers dug into skin, a soft noise left her throat before she could stop it. He gripped her harder, jerking her into the correct position. She bit her lip slowly, moving her head to look back at him. he grunted at her, he was shirtless, his pants riding low, his member visible over the waistband. She wiggled her hips at him, which gained her a quick spank, she arched away from it slightly, she wasn’t used to being the one receiving this treatment.

He stood up suddenly, moving away from her, only to return with a blindfold. She felt her nostrils flare at the thought of losing her site, but she didn’t say anything. lifting her head, she allowed him to tie it into place. She clenched her teeth as he moved back onto the bed, she felt his weight shift the mattress below her, spreading her legs a little so she was more open to his advances, she thought about closing her eyes, she couldn’t see anyway, there was no point fighting him. within moments, he was inside her, rough movements causing a quite uncomfortable feeling to rise inside her, he hadn’t prepared her correctly, she wasn’t aroused enough for him to be pounding away. She began to think of other things, trying to make herself wetter for him. soon, it was less uncomfortable, almost enjoyable. She made all the right noises for him, she didn’t want to dent his pride when he was in control like this.

He pulled out after a while, before the hot sticky feel of his release splattered over her bum and lower back. She shuddered at the feel, wiggling her butt at him a little. He spanked her again. “Don’t move.” He ordered, his voice was hoarse, out of breath. He stayed on the bed, the only sound filling her ears was his breathing. Was he going to go again? By the time his release was cold against her skin, he had left the bed, the sound of tissues being pulled from the box filled her ears. His hands were on her again, though gentler this time, cleaning his mess. He removed her blindfold, smiling awkwardly at her. “Thank you.” He unbound her hands, picking his shirt up from the floor. “I need to go, can you dress yourself?”

“Yes.” Kayci rolled her eyes. Is this what he was like with the tamassrans back home? She moved from the bed, retrieving her clothes from the floor. She moved, walking towards her bathroom, she needed a shower.

 

Bull leant against the wall of the shower in the guest bathroom. Using the dwarf for release was working, but unfulfilling. He ran his hand over his hair softly, it was growing back much faster than he thought it would. Closing his eyes, images of Maddison entered his mind. He grumbled, human minds worked so differently to his own. He banged the back of his head against the cool tiles, grumbling. “I have never felt this way before.” He groaned to himself, the only other woman he had ever felt this strongly for was Tama, that was very different. He was struggling, he hated these feelings more than demons.

“The Iron Bull?” his eyes flew open as he heard the familiar voice. He looked around the room, there was nothing but steam in view.

“Cole?” he tried to focus his eyes, but still no young blonde boy appeared to him.

“Lost, longing. ‘Why would she ever accept someone like me? I’m a monster.’ Her hurt breaks, something inside, must help, hurting the guy was not enough” Cole’s voice filled his head. Since the kid had become more human he needed to be close to get inside people’s heads. Bull turned the water off from the shower, stepping out to look around, frowning.

“Cole, come on Kid, where are you?” He hadn’t realised just how much he missed the little weirdo’s voice until now.

“Will find a way, the Inquisitor isn’t here, I found The Iron Bull.” Cole’s voice was getting softer, more distant. Bull ran towards the bathroom door, pushing it open as he rushed down the hall.

“Dagna! Get up here!” he called out, hoping that whatever had connected Cole to this world was still in the air. Dagna appeared at the top of the stairs, only to turn bright red, staring at him.

“You're naked!” she turned away from him. He moved, frowning.

“That isn’t important. I just heard Cole, he’s here somewhere, get one of your devices up here and check the bathroom for residual crap.” He turned, rushing into his bedroom so she could get to work. A new hope filled his mind, if Cole could find him, maybe he could contact his boys back home. Throwing some clothes on, he rushed back out, looking at Dagna seriously. “Why are you still just standing there? Don’t you understand? This might be our only chance.”

“Bull, the device didn’t work, I can’t get a reading in the bathroom.” Dagna spoke slowly, looking at him sadly. He felt his eye twitch.

“What? What do you mean you can’t get a read?!” he was yelling without realising it. She backed away from him slightly.

“I can’t get a read on my machine.” She began to back up.

“TRY AGAIN!” he practically screamed at her. He stepped closer, his fist clenched, raising it above his head. As he went to speak again, Maddison stepped out of her bedroom, her eyes burning into him, Sera ran in front of Dagna. He had never seen Maddison look so angry, she moved between him and Dagna, glaring at him.

“Don’t you dare.” She spoke slowly. “It’s ok Dagna, you can set up your bigger machine in the bathroom to try to get a read in here.” He hadn’t seen how upset the dwarf had become from his yelling. He moved, backing away from them quickly. How could he treat a friend that way?


	9. Personal note

\--Personal message—

 

Hello Readers,

 

I just wanted to write you a letter to let you know that there are new chapters to come in the near future. I haven’t been able to write in a long time as I have had a few issues in my personal life. I would like to ask forgiveness if the next chapter doesn’t flow as well as the others, as I haven’t worked on it in such a long time.

I look forwards to hearing any feedback you have, and would very much like to hear from you.

Thankyou for your patience.

 

Sincerely,

Maddison Jayne.


End file.
